Faith: The Vampire Slayer
by xenre
Summary: What if instead of a perky cheerleading blonde our hero was a troubled brunette from Boston? Chapters and events take place out of order from original series, so be prepared for that.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to the Hellmouth

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

1\. Welcome to the Hellmouth

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith sat bolt up in the cheap motel's bed. Wavy dark hair matted against her sweat slick skin. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Most of the nightmare was gone, but a few images stayed with her: a dagger with a split blade, a small tribal tattoo, a gray bat faced man, an old book titled Vampyre and a silver cross necklace.

She showered and grabbed a few things from the free continental breakfast. Faith spent most of the day looking for a job. She needed quick cash for food and the motel. And a boss that was willing to overlook the fact that she was a runaway.

Luckily her friend Ronnie had gotten her a fake ID from his older brother. So what if she'd had to trade some unsavory favors for it. Ronnie was a deadbeat, but he wasn't all bad. Eighteen would have been too far of a stretch, but sixteen was doable and it allowed her to work.

"You should try the Bronze. Coffee shop by day, club by night and with the highest turnover in town they pay the first month of employment in cash at the end of your shift," the girl at the Espresso Pump had told her when she handed in her application.

The manager did arch his eyebrows at the motel address but in the end, "Your shift is from four to nine weekdays, but you get a free lunch and you can pick up weekend shifts." He tossed her an apron, "Put that on and follow Tony. It's only two hours but it'll be the all the training you'll get, so pay attention."

Bussing the tables was easy, and operating the dishwasher was a no-brainer. Faith smiled and bobbed her head to the music. The band sucked but it was a live band on a Tuesday so you couldn't really complain. She cleared a table next to a thirty-ish guy with black hair wearing a suit but no tie. He was staring at her the whole time. He had the kind of dreamy deep brown eyes girls got lost in. Faith tried to ignore him, but he made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Luckily on her next round through the place he was gone.

"You've got the hang of this, Lehane," Tony handed her eight dollars.

"Thanks," She smiled back at him. "You can call me Faith, you know."

"Sure, Faith. You got a ride?" Tony asked.

"Uh, Yeah. I've got it covered." Faith grinned, "Figured I get my groove on before I head home."

"Cool," Tony nodded. "Here, I never get my free lunch – no vegan options – so go ahead and order something," He led her to the counter. "The band changes out at ten, the Dingoes Ate My Baby have potential, but Social Cyanide Habit is as groove worthy as it gets on weekdays."

"Thanks." Faith smiled. She decided on the bacon-cheese burger and potato salad. As Faith ate she was joined by a perky redhead in a black flower print dress and a fuzzy rust colored coat.

"Oh, sorry, we'll find another table!" the girl stammered. She was flanked by two dark haired boys; one trying too hard in a black striped sweater, the other in a threadbare tee and a hand-me-down over shirt. The boys waved a girl with blonde hair and darkening roots over. She was dressed in dark corduroy pants and a baggy tan top.

"Nah, s'okay, Red," Faith smiled at the shy girl. "Place is packed for a weekday, and I'm hitting the dance floor soon anyway. Wouldn't mind if ya wanted to join me," Faith winked.

Hand-me-down made a faint whining noise and trying-too-hard said 'humina,' under his breath.

Red just blushed and stammered more apologies and a 'thank you, but no.'

Faith shrugged and finished her food. Her eyes fell to the blonde. "What about you? Wanna make your boy jealous?"

"Oh, no we're not. Nothing like that. We're just friends," she stammered out.

"Too bad, they're kinda cute. Wanna dance anyway?"

"Sure."

Hours later the five teens left the club laughing and chatting about the town. "This is the bad side of town," Amy informed her.

"Conveniently located half a block from the good side of town," Willow added.

"We don't have a lot of town here," Jesse joked.

Faith laughed, "So, not much to do around here?"

"Let's see we got the Bronze, the Espresso Pump, Sun Cinema, mini-golf, the arcade, the mall, the beach, the park, the museum and the zoo. So no not much to do," Xander quipped. "So, it's late, nine out of the ten things to do in town are closed, who wants to hang out at the park until sunrise?"

"Can't," Willow shrugged, "I have history in the morning. Mr. Chomsky is so boring he puts me to sleep."

"Mom will murder me if I stay up all night again," Amy groaned. "It's bad for your complexion. And can you believe she wants me to try out for cheerleading, again?"

"That's, uh, rough," Jesse said without any emotion. "I'll walk you home."

"Thanks," Amy smiled and looped her arm in his. They sang I Want You by Savage Garden horribly off key as they sauntered away.

Xander chuckled, "So, Faith, you need an escort?"

"Nah, I'm good," she pushed Willow toward him, "But make sure Red gets home okay."

"I shall protect the fair maiden with my very life!" Xander walked next to Willow making sword swinging gestures. For her part, Willow sang Brave Sir Robin softly.

Faith shook her head and started back to her motel. She got two blocks from the Bronze when a snarling bumpy foreheaded man jumped out at her. His strange yellow eyes were alight with malice. Faith screamed and kicked him in the crotch. Instincts kick in, street tough combined with something ancient. Faith grabbed a slat from a broken shipping palette and cracked the guy in the ribs with it. He snarled and swiped at her from the ground. She responded by braining him. Her world went red. Then black.

When she came back to herself Faith was perched on a fire escape. Cash crammed into her pocket she chucked the empty wallet down the alley. Looking around she saw the bloodied slat broken over the man's still form.

"Not bad for your first time," a velvety voice came from the darkest shadows of the alleyway. Once she knew he was there, Faith had no trouble seeing him: the thirty-something guy from the Bronze. He strolled over to where her attacker lay in the mouth of the alley. Faith watched in horror as he picked up a piece of the broken wood and jammed it into the unconscious man's heart. She frowned when he turned to dust and blew away in the light breeze. Tall, dark and stabby turned back to her and explained, "You're standing at the Mouth of Hell. And it's about to open. Don't turn your back on this," he tossed her a gray box tied with silver ribbon. "You've gotta be ready."

"What for?" Faith opened the box. It contained a silver cross and chain.

"For the Harvest," he turned to leave.

"The what?" Faith called after him.

"Look it up," he strolled off into the darkness.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith scoured the public library. Harvest brought a lot of farming guides and vampire resulted in an endless tide of paperback novels. She did find a few books with general information on vampires, mostly they covered regional variations.

Growling in frustration Faith left the library and wandered about the town. She was headed towards the grocery store when she spotted a little shop in a strip mall called Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet. Shrugging she detoured into the strange shop: Half rare bookstore, a third hippie spice rack, and one sixth curio shop. It smelled like someone was burning pies in the back.

"Um, Hi," Faith approached the cashier. "Do you have a section on vampires?"

"Second shelf from the back, far side," the woman told her in a bored tone.

"Thanks," the dark haired teen meandered to the indicated section. She began flipping through the tomes, finding that they rarely had an index. She kept muttering, "Harvest, harvest, harvest," as she searched.

"It's not a library," a gruff male voice barked.

Faith looked up startled. "I'm looking for something. The Harvest. I'm not having any luck," Faith told him.

"Never heard of it," the man scratched his short thick beard and looked thoughtful. "Ya might try the high school library. A lot of my younger customers have been talking about the new librarian there. Seems he more than doubled the amount of books they have and all of the new ones are rare occult books."

"I'll check that out, thanks," Faith nodded to him. "Uh, how much do these usually cost?" she hefted the book she had been skimming.

"Fifty to five hundred dollars. I don't keep the really expensive books on the floor," he shrugged.

"Oh." She slid the book back into its place.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Sneaking into the school was simple. And not at all sneaking. Faith walked onto the campus and strolled straight in the front door with the seniors returning from lunch. She asked a pretty blonde girl the way to the library.

"Like I would ever go there," she sneered.

"I'm not saying you would, Barbie. But you'd need to know where it is to avoid it, right?" Faith pressed.

"Like, I guess," the girl agreed. "I think it's down that hall and around the corner."

"Thanks, doll," Faith headed the way she indicated. Finding the kitchen style doors Faith entered the library. It had one study table big enough to seat eight comfortably. The chairs looked to be donations from the seventies. To one side was a checkout counter. On the other side were a card catalog and a sports equipment locker. Behind the study nook, up a short set of steps to either side, were the books. Faith didn't see anyone so she started with the books nearest the counter. After a half hour of searching, she heard the office door open and the librarian come out. Peering through the stacks she saw him sit with his feet propped up on a second chair reading the paper. He was a square-jawed man in his forties with wire-rimmed glasses. Faith slipped through a set of glass doors to continue her search deeper in the stacks.

It was hours later when she had to leave, still not having found anything, or be late for work. The librarian was re-shelving books so she waited until he bent down to slip out of the back. She was almost to the stairs when he said, "Oh, my! I, I didn't know anyone was in here," he paused for a breath. "Can I help you find something? Miss?"

"No, I gotta get going," She hurried down the stairs.

He grabbed a book from his cart and held it up, "Perhaps this is what you are looking for?"

Faith glanced back as she reached the door. The book said VAMPYRE across the front. She turned to face him, "What's the Harvest?"

"What did you say?"

"The Harvest. It's coming, I, apparently need to be ready for it. I don't even know what it is."

"Who told you this?"

"This guy in his late twenties, early thirties trying to look early twenties. Looks like Sean Faris, with James Dean hair. Was hanging out at this all-ages club, the Bronze." Faith shook her head, "Gave me the creeps something fierce. Then on my way home after work this other dude, with a bumpy forehead, attacks me and I, I, ah, fought him off. Get some distance. Creepy guy comes out of nowhere and stabs the bumpy forehead dude with a jagged piece of wood and the guy just vanishes." She took a steadying breath. "Then the creepy guy says I need to be ready for the Harvest."

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, wait, yes. Something about standing on the mouth of hell," she glanced at the wall clock. "I gotta go. I'm gonna be late for work."

"I'll give you a lift," the librarian offered. "And I'll look up this Harvest for you."

Faith regarded him with an appraising look. He didn't seem dangerous, capable yes, but not dangerous. Faith nodded, "I'm Faith."

"Rupert Giles," he offered her the book.

"Nice to meet you," the girl smiled, "G-man." She took the heavy tome and began skimming it as they headed out to his car. She quirked an eyebrow at him upon seeing the primer gray car but said nothing.

"It's a perfectly serviceable automobile," Giles said defensively.

"I'm not knocking it. It's a '63 Citroen DS," Faith climbed in. "The real test of a classic is how it runs."

Giles fired the engine up. There was a light, high-frequency tapping sound, like someone hitting a pencil on a desk. As they drove along Faith could hear a knocking sound. A glance behind them showed a plume of blue smoke. When the rattle trap backfired she began humming the tune to Chitty-chitty Bang Bang.

"Oh, funny," the librarian said dully.

"You have lifter tap, it knocks, there's blow-by, exhaust leak and it backfires. The only thing you seem to be missing is transmission problems."

Frowning he changed the subject, "What do you know about vampires?"

"Well, just stuff from movies mostly, but I did learn that they come in, like a billion different types."

"Well, yes, sort of. The different types of, of parasitic demons are often lumped into the vampire category; even when they are not vampiric."

"Oh," was all she could say. She winced as he shifted and the gears clashed with a metallic grinding noise. "There it is." After a few minutes of relative silence, she said, "I dreamed about this book."

Giles was quiet for a moment. "Into each generation a, a Chosen One is born, one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer. For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer. This world is older than you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures. The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding... Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."

After a minute Faith asked, "You think I'm this slayer chick?"

"You had a prophetic dream and managed to fight off a vampire, Faith. Yes, I believe you are the chosen one, the slayer."

"I'm nobody."

"Not anymore," Giles smiled.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles loitered at the Bronze in hopes of seeing the 'creepy guy' that Faith had described to him. He felt a bit like a creeper himself watching the teens and twenty-somethings while away their evening. After getting a latte he headed to the upper level.

At the bar Faith was helping with a large soft drink order when she spotted Willow, "Hey, Red, you here with someone?"

"Oh, hi! No, I'm just here. I thought Xander was gonna show up. You work here?" Willow tugged at the sleeve of her yellow and orange sweater.

"Yeah." She smiled holding the loaded tray with ease.

"You sure you got that Leh… Faith?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." She rolled her eyes. Even with eight large sodas, she could hold the tray with one hand as if it were empty. "So, why are you sulking at the bar when you could be out on the dance floor getting your grind on?"

"I-I-I don't have a grind to get on!" the blushing teen stammered.

"Try it; you might surprise yourself," Faith winked at her. "I'm off at nine. I'll walk you home. So go have fun. Cut loose!" She headed off with Tony to deliver the drinks.

Later, on her break, Faith found Giles on the upper level, "Hey, you know, I was thinking, I know a thing or two about cars. I could give the poor thing a tune-up. I work cheap."

Giles smiled at her, "Are you free this Saturday?"

She nodded, "I'm picking up an extra shift in the evening but I can stop by in the morning to at least get you a list of parts. I'm free all Sunday."

"Good," he smiled as she sat down with her burger and fries. Giles pointed to the crowd, "This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It's dark, it's crowded. This music is atrocious. It's a seething mass of, of clown haired hormones."

"Damn kids always on your lawn," Faith piped up between bites.

"There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers," he shook his head. "A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them, only then do they reveal their true demonic visage. A Slayer has the ability to see, to sense them anyway. Without looking, without thinking. Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"

"Maybe..." She thought she felt something, a strange prickle in the back of her neck.

"Even through this mass and this, this noise, you should be able to sense them. Reach out with your mind. You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle of-of…"

"Is he one?" Faith asked looking over the edge.

"W-where?"

"Right there, dancing with that girl," she pointed to a guy in a jacket with his sleeves rolled up and a gold shirt with a red and black diamond pattern on it. "He gives me the major wiggins."

"But you didn't hone," Giles practically pouted.

"You said 'Without looking, without thinking.' I felt. He is a giver of wiggins, even at this distance. Is he a vampire, though?" she paused. "Oh, no."

"What?"

"Willow." Faith bolted toward the stairs, "Watch my food!" Faith maneuvered her way through the crowd, trying to keep her eyes on the pair. Her line of sight was blocked by two slabs in lettermen's jackets.

"Hey beautiful, I haven't seen you around before," the left one grinned.

"Not interested," Faith moved to go around him but the guy stepped in her way. "I don't have time for this!" the dark haired slayer reached out and cupped his crotch. Then she gave a hard squeeze that sent the jock to the floor. Before the second boy could even call her 'bitch' she was weaving through the crowd again. It was too late, she had lost them. She dashed up to the bar, "Tony, can you clock me out on lunch?"

"Yeah, sure," he made a note on a guest check. "You know your red headed friend left with some sleaze."

"Which way?"

"Out the back."

Faith bolted toward the bathrooms. She passed the Barbie doll and her entourage, bumping into a smoking hot brunette. "Sorry, Legs," she barely glanced back at the girls on her way out. In the ally, she found a pallet and broke off a wooden slat.

Looking around frantically, she tried to sense him as she had inside.

"Hey, you're leaving already?"

She whirled to around to see Xander coming out the door behind her. "We have to find Willow! She left with a, a guy…"

He raised his eyebrows, "Our Willow? Scorin' at the Bronze, work it, girl…"

"No! He's a, a drug dealer! Bouncer warned me about him. Where would he take her?"

"Why would Willow hang out with a drug dealer?"

"I don't think she knows," Faith growled.

"Do you think he's making a drug deal?"

"Maybe?"

"He'd need privacy. Uh, there's a cemetery a few blocks from here. People in this town tend to avoid cemeteries." Xander shrugged. "Not really sure why."

"Let's go, Xan."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

As the pair entered the graveyard they saw Willow being pushed into a mausoleum. Faith took off at a dead sprint, vastly outdistancing Xander. He piled on the speed when he heard Willow's scream.

Faith was glad the mausoleum door was still open as she ran in. The slayer noticed Willow cowering in the corner with Jesse. She tackled the man looming over them. The woman with him shouted. Willow tried to drag Jesse to the door. Faith pounded her fists into the vampire. He roared and threw her. Faith slammed into the mausoleum wall. Her world went red. Then black.

Xander entered the mausoleum. Faith was scraping herself off the floor. Both vampires were advancing on her. The woman clawed at her. Faith backed against the wall, clutching her makeshift stake. She snarled at the blonde vampire. The boy lunged at her. Faith spun with the stake leading. It sank into the yielding flesh of his neck. The vampire howled in pain.

"Shut up and bite her, already," the blonde growled.

Faith jabbed with the splintering wood. He continued to groan and clutch his throat. Finally, he evaporated in a cloud of ash.

Xander helped Willow drag Jesse to the door.

"Not so fast, kiddies," The blonde had turned to them. As she leaped at the trio Faith slammed into her. The pair went down in a tangle of limbs. Faith's makeshift stake slid across the floor. Clawing and scratching until she found some leverage, Faith rained punches down on the vampire's ribs. With each impact, a sharp crack rent the air.

Suddenly, Faith was flung backward.

A booming male voice snapped, "Get back to the Master. I will handle the little girl."

The blonde managed to gurgle, "She's strong, she killed Thomas."

"Pathetic," the large man growled. "You were supposed to be bringing an offering for the Master! We're almost at Harvest, and you dally with this child!" He grabbed the blonde and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Go!"

Faith staggered to her feet as he approached her. The large vampire reached out to grab her but she stepped back. Faith jumped and pushed him back with a drop kick. She landed hard on the stone floor.

Regaining his balance the vampire grinned at her, "You are strong." He backhanded her. "I am stronger."

Faith was sent flying across the mausoleum.

"You are wasting my time," the big vampire said as he stalked towards her.

"Hey," Faith groaned. "I've got things to do, too, buddy. I gotta be back to work in fifteen…" She was cut off when he shoved the stone coffin lid at her. Faith hopped onto the rim. She booted him in the mouth. The vampire stumbled to the ground. She grabbed the stake and lunged at the vampire. He caught her wrist and held her fast. She couldn't plunge forward or move back.

"You think you can stop me? Stop us?" he growled. The vampire wrapped his free hand around the stake and crushed it to tender. Taking her by the shirt he tossed her against the coffin. "You have no idea what you are dealing with." Standing he smirked at her dazed and bruised form. "And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth. But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest. And the blood of men will flow as wine. When the Master will walk among them once more. The Earth will belong to the old ones." He lifted Faith by the throat. "And Hell itself will come to town." The vampire leaned in to bite her, finishing with, "Amen!"

She could feel his breath on her neck. She couldn't get any air past his vice like grip. Faith pulled the silver cross out of her pocket. The chain was tangled around her fingers. The cross burned him when she pressed against his face. He jerked back, dropping her. Faith kicked him in the knee. The joint dislocated and the slayer ran out of the mausoleum.

A short distance away she spotted her three friends surrounded by vampires. As Faith closed the distance a shriek pierced the night air. "No! Get off!" Willow screamed.

Without breaking stride Faith grabbed the vampiric teen off the redhead. Gripping his shirt collar and waistband she flung him into a headstone with a sick crunch. Using the momentum of the toss she whirled about and slammed the next vampire with a well-executed clothesline. The undead man flipped up into the air, his feet fighting for traction as he spun about. He was suddenly a dusty memory as the crossbow bolt entered his spine and kissed his heart.

Faith took a pair of running steps and turned to finish him off…when she saw him blow away on the cool night breeze.

Willow got shakily to her feet. "Xander!" She shouted spotting her friend. The boy was being carried away by two vampires.

The Vampire to his right exploded in a hail of dust and ash. Faith watched as Giles jogged toward them, reloading his crossbow as he went. The second vampire rushed to meet the middle-aged watcher. Only to take a wooden stake to the heart as Giles deftly sidestepped the lunge. He paused only to pull Xander to his feet. As he neared the pair of girls he tossed Faith a stake. She knelt and plunged it into the prone form of the vampire that had attacked Willow.

"Is everyone all right?" Giles asked.

"Just bumps and scrapes, I think," Faith offered.

Xander felt the back of his head and winced, "Something hit me."

"Where's Jesse?" Willow asked.

"He got drug off when they surrounded us," Xander answered. Fear edged both of their voices.

"Which way?" Faith started to scan the cemetery for movement.

"I don't know." Xander offered, still rubbing the back of his knotted cranium.

Giles drove toward the Bronze. Over the various rattles, taps and bangs of the car he explained to the teens, "For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One…"

"You must love this part, G."

"Alright," He said gruffly, "The Slayer hunts vampires, Faith is a Slayer, don't tell anyone. Well, I think that's all the vampire information you need."

"Except for one thing: how do you kill them?" Xander asked from the back seat.

"You don't, I do," was Faith's answer.

"Well, Jesse's my…"

Faith interrupted him, "Jesse is my responsibility. I let him get taken."

"Bullshit," Xander spat. He ignored the admonishment from Willow. "If you hadn't shown up they would have taken us, too. But Jesse's my friend. I can't just abandon him."

"I'll find him. The big guy, he talked about an offering to the Master. Now, I don't know what or who, but if they weren't just feeding then Jesse may still be alive."

"You have no idea where they took Jesse," Xander pointed out.

"Do you?" Faith shot back. "As soon as they got clear of the graveyard, they could have just hopped in a car and drove off."

"I don't remember hearing a car," Willow offered.

Giles sighed, "Let's take an enormous intuitive leap, shall we, and say they went underground."

"How? It's not like there was sewer access in the cemetery," Faith quirked an eyebrow at him.

"There's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town," Xander supplied.

"If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel system it might indicate a, a meeting place, it would, uh... I suppose we could go to the building commission," Giles nodded.

"And that will take how long?" Faith asked.

"I, um, I might be able to get it faster," Willow offered. "I'd need to use the school's computers."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles dropped Faith back at the Bronze and drove the other two to the school. After twenty minutes at the computer, Willow called the boys over to look at the plans, "That tunnel runs under the graveyard."

"I don't see any access," Xander remarked.

"So, all the city plans are just, uh, open to the public?" Giles inquired as he examined the plans closely.

Willow blushed. "Um, well, i-in a way. I sort of stumbled onto them when I accidentally decrypted the city council's security system."

"Someone's been naughty," Xander teased. "Oh! That big guy came from inside the crypt! What if that's the access!"

"He didn't chase us. I don't think he came out at all!" Willow added excitedly.

"So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?" Xander turned to Giles, "Pick Faith up after her shift and …"

"There's no 'we'. Faith is the Slayer and you are not," Giles corrected.

"I knew you'd throw that back in my face," the teen groused.

"Xander, this is deeply dangerous," the watcher tried to reason with him.

"I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters. But I do want to help. I need to," Willow piped up.

"Well, then help me. I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine," he waved his hand dismissively at the computer.

"Sure, I can do that," she turned back to the computer.

Giles lead Xander out of the office, "I know a thing or two about the rebelliousness of youth." He smiled somewhat wistfully. "If I merely tell you that you cannot help you will try to do so anyway. I cannot and will not let your foolishness put Faith at unnecessary risk. To that end we will spend the next," he checked his watch, "two hours teaching you first why you are no match for a vampire, and then how to use a crossbow."

Willow cringed every time she heard the meaty thump of Xander hitting the mat Giles laid out.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Hours later Faith, Giles, and Xander reentered the mausoleum. The men covered her as she searched the room. "Bingo," Faith called softly. They followed her into the electrical tunnel. Faith 'felt' for vampires. "Which way?" she asked upon not feeling anything.

Xander grimaced at the sound of rats squeaking and scurrying.

"We shall head toward the center of town," Giles told them. "Faith try to sense for them while walking."

Not knowing if she wasn't feeling anything because she was doing it wrong or there weren't any vampires to sense she stopped every hundred feet just to be sure. After an hour or so Faith felt a prickle in the back of her neck, "They're close."

"How can you tell?" Xander asked.

"No more rats," Giles replied. "Look, there."

Faith gasped, "Jesse."

Xander moved cautiously to the other boy, "Jesse? Hey, you okay, man?"

"Xander?" the other boy croaked groggily. "I am not okay, on an epic scale."

"He's chained up," Xander called out softly.

"We gotta get outta here!" Jesse whined.

"Here," Giles said, offering Faith a large stone carving chisel.

"Hold on." Faith bashed the shackle with it.

"Do you think anyone heard that?" Xander frowned.

"Head back the way we came," Giles growled. They could see shadows moving on the walls. Another group of Vampires came around the corner. Giles covered their tactical retreat.

"They knew you were gonna come. They said that I...I was the bait," Jesse groaned.

"Easy buddy, you don't look so good," Xander handed his crossbow to Faith so he could support his friend.

The group rounded a corner only to be met by vampires. "They're herding us," the watcher informed the teens.

"Do you know another way out?" Faith asked.

"Through here, there, there should be a way up. I hope!" Jesse guided them through another intersection and a heavy metal door into a chamber. Faith tossed Xander his crossbow.

"I don't think this is the way out!" Faith exclaimed even as she and Giles shoved the door shut and latched it.

"We can't fight our way back through those things. What do we do?" Xander asked panic edging into his voice.

"I got an idea," Jesse said, pointing up at a grate in the ceiling.

"Xander, then Jesse," Giles and Faith helped the boys into the ventilation shaft. "You next," He insisted, even as the vampires banging began to warp the door. Instead of arguing Faith leaped up but turned around to pull him up.

Giles was few feet from the grate when a vampire shimmied into the duct. Xander was crawling like mad. He nearly slammed into the rungs of a ladder up to a manhole.

Meanwhile, Giles had rolled onto his back and fired a crossbow bolt into the vampire's skull. Faith practically drug him to the ladder while he reloaded. "You first," Faith demanded.

"Very well," he huffed. It did allow him to cover her while she climbed out. The quartet ran as soon as Faith was clear. It took them an hour to get back to Giles' Citroen but they didn't run into any more vampires.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Giles?" Willow called when she heard the doors swing open.

"Yes, we have Jesse," the librarian called.

"Is he okay?" She came out of his office with a stack of printouts.

"I believe so," Giles sighed. It was well past midnight. "Would you all like a ride home?"

"No, I have more research to do," Willow retreated to the office.

"I'm good," Faith settled into a chair leaning back and propping her feet up.

"I'm better off staying out if I don't get in before the bars close," Xander shrugged.

Jesse just leaned against him on the stairs and fell asleep.

Giles joined Willow in the research, "Find anything?"

"I think, maybe...I surfed through the old newspapers around the time of the big earthquake in '37. And for several months before that, there was a rash of murders."

"Great! I-I mean, well, not, not 'great' in a good way, uh, um, uh, go on?" he stammered.

"Well, they sound like the kind you were looking for. Throats, blood..." she grimaced.

Frowning Giles replied, "It's all coming together." He pulled his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose, groaning. "And I rather wish it weren't."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

A beam of sunlight shone down through the skylight onto Faith. She sat up and popped her back. Her mouth tasted like hair and stale diet soda. "Ick," she groaned. Faith staggered to the coffee pot. She gave a disgruntled grunt upon finding it empty.

"Oh, good," Giles came down the steps with an armload of books. "You're up. I was contemplating picking up breakfast for everyone." He set the books on the study table, "Would you like to come along?"

"Sure thing, G," She smiled walking backward ahead of him. "Ooh! Can we get some breakfast sammiches?"

"Sandwiches," Giles corrected on the way out the door, "and yes."

As they drove Faith did a mental inventory of the Citroen's problems. It sputtered to a stop a block from the Espresso Pump. "I'll check the engine, you go get food," the slayer told her watcher.

Giles stalked into the coffee shop and to the end of the short line. When it was his turn the cashier gave him a bright smile. He returned a polite smile of his own despite his now sour mood. "Can I get a dozen donuts: four glazed, four jelly, – the strawberry please – two crullers and two Boston cream. Oh, and six egg and sausage breakfast sandwiches, please."

"Biscuit or croissant?"

"Three of each," he decided. After paying he returned to the car to find a greasy but grinning Faith.

"Sammiches!" She took the bag from him as he set the donuts in the backseat. She had devoured the first one before he was settled behind the wheel.

"You have no intention of sharing those do you?"

"You can have some," she pushed the bag at him.

Giles sighed and rolled his eyes as he turned the key. He pumped the gas as he did so. The engine whined but refused to catch.

"You flooded it," Faith said her mouth full of egg, sausage, and biscuit.

"It is not flooded," Giles shot back stubbornly.

"Two more sandwiches say it is," she wiped her mouth on a paper napkin. "Pop the hood."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy entered the library, "Willow?" Xander, Jesse, and Willow were all asleep on the steps, still cocooned in the shadow of a bookcase. As she approached them Amy called out louder, "Guys!"

The trio jumped, startled and groggy. It would have been comical if not for Jesse's face. His eyes were yellow and his teeth were sharp and jagged. A thick ridge surrounded his eyes giving him a permanent scowl despite the lack of eyebrows.

Amy screamed. Jesse lunged at her, roaring.

Adrenaline forced Xander to react. As Amy backpedaled, she tripped and fell on her butt on the floor. Xander, a heavy wooden chair in his hands, struck. The seat blasted apart across Jesse's undead ribs, sending him across the table's surface to hit the floor on the opposing side. Xander went in for the kill, a shard of wood in his hand.

Jesse was to his feet in an instant. Xander came in, the makeshift stake raised. Jesse, sped by the supernatural, caught his wrist and stared at him. "Really, bro?" He said, grinning. A hard backhand to Xander's face sent him flying across the table. He then staggered forward, a sharp pain ripping up his spine. Jesse whipped around to stare into the terrified green eyes of Willow. "Ow! Christ, Willow! That hurt! What the hell, man?"

"W-well, you, you were gonna eat A-Amy!" The redhead stammered, the sharp wood still clutched in her hands.

"Yeah, but…I wasn't trying to eat you!" He shot back.

"Hey!" Amy snapped, standing arms akimbo. "Screw you."

Willow tried to stab him again. He easily caught her wrist and gripped her throat. "Maybe I should eat you." He said, smiling.

"No, you don't!" Amy growled. "Dissolvo!" She shouted. A gleaming bolt of energy shot from her hand and impacted Jesse's side, hurling him free of Willow, sending him sprawling on the floor. He slid into the sunlight from the skylight above.

His skin blistered and boiled in the harsh light. Jesse rose to his feet and rushed from the sun's rays, leaning against the table, all thoughts of the three surrounding him gone. The pain was incredible. "That sucked."

Xander, a grimace of determination firmly in place, wrapped his fingers in Jesse's thick dark hair and yanked back as he plunged the long shard of wood deeply into the boy's back, tearing his heart in two. "I'm sorry, bro." He said, softly.

For a split second, time stood still. Jesse's yellow eyes turned toward him. Xander could see the fear and pain. He lamented his friend's death but reveled in the death of the monster that had taken him.

Jesse – or rather the demon that wore his flesh – disintegrated into a fine ashen dust.

Willow dropped onto the steps. Amy sat next to her a comforting arm around the redhead. Willow was shaking and Amy was breathing heavy and sweating.

Without a word, Xander got them both a glass of water. He said nothing as he swept up their friend's remains and secured them in a paper coffee cup. He made sure to label it before joining the girls on the steps.

"I don't like vampires. I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good," Xander said tonelessly.

"Oh, I-I need to sit down," Willow grabbed Amy's arm for support.

"You are sitting down," the brunette told her.

"Oh. Good for me," Willow gave a pained smile. "Does anybody mind if I pass out?"

"Breathe," Amy said.

"Breathe," Willow repeated.

"Breathe," Amy said again, nodding.

Giles entered the library carrying a box of donuts and looking slightly disheveled, "What happened here?"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith returned to the school library after walking the three teens to Willow's house, "Found anything, G?"

Giles began reading aloud from the large tome, "'For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life.' P-Pours life..." he paused and flipped back a page to a picture of Satan feeding power to a man. "'On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice it will come...' Of course. That's tonight!"

"But I work tonight," Faith grumbled. "Could this get any worse?"

Giles gestured at the whiteboard he had set up. "Yes, the end of the world."

"Well, you're just full of sunshine. Also, rhetorical much?"

He made a face at her abuse of the English language. "Nearly a century ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore, not just to feed. This vampire hoped to open a sort of, um, a portal between this reality and the next. The Spanish who first settled here called it 'Boca del Infierno'. Roughly translated, 'Hellmouth'. However, opening dimensional portals is a tricky business. There was an earthquake that swallowed half the town. Odds are he got himself stuck, rather like a, uh, cork in a bottle."

"And this Harvest thing is to get him out."

"It comes once in a century, on this night. The Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol," He explained as he drew a three-pointed star on the whiteboard.

"So, I find the vampire sporting that, take him out and bye, bye Harvest?" the slayer smirked.

"Simply put, yes."

"Any idea where this shindig is being held?"

"There, there are a number of possibilities," Giles sighed, "Anywhere there will be a large number of victims."

"The Bronze is going to be packed. It's the first weekend of the new term."

Giles grabbed his coat, "We best hurry. The sun will be down before long."

"How, how do I kill, uh, slay him? The vessel guy?"

The watcher stopped and stared at his slayer; his completely untrained slayer. "A wooden stake through the heart or decapitation. You are not in this alone, Faith." Giles opened the storage cage and pulled a crossbow from a locker.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles waited until just before sunset to enter the bronze. He went to the counter to place his order.

"What'll it be?" the barista/bartender asked him.

"Do you, by chance, have tea?"

"Tea," the man frowned.

"Yes," Giles nodded.

The bartender grabbed a mug and filled it with hot water from a stainless steel airpot. He tossed a packet of Lipton next to the mug, "Buck fifty."

"Do you have Chamomile?"

The man still frowning took the tea back and with an ink pen wrote Chamomile across the package.

"Thank you," Giles sneered as he paid the man. He found a seat on the upper level and waited. He looked at the package and sighed. "At least he spelled it properly." He said to himself as he prepared it.

Faith moved around the Bronze collecting empty plates and glasses. The stake hidden in her boot was a litter awkward at first, but she would rather not have to improvise a weapon when the Vessel showed up.

As she dropped off a bus tub in the kitchen Faith felt the creepy tingly in the back of her neck she was quickly associating with vampires. They came into view pushing Paul, the doorman, in front of them. The last one in shut and locked the door. He stood guard keeping the teens and twenty-some-things away from the exit. Another one moved to the upper level.

The lights cut out, as did the band's amps. The crowd started to murmur. Faith as slid her stake out she peered through the window in the kitchen door.

The large vampire from the mausoleum was standing on the stage with the three-pointed star on his forehead. A spotlight beamed down on him from the upper level. The crowd's murmuring turned to screaming as they got a good look at the face of the Vessel.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, there is no cause for alarm. Actually, there is cause for alarm. It just won't do any good," he chuckled. "This is a glorious night! It is also the last one any of you shall ever see."

As the Vessel made his speech Faith made her way backstage. Giles slammed a stake into the chest of the vampire operating the portable spotlight and raised his crossbow.

"Bring me the first!" the Vessel demanded.

Two vampires began dragging Paul toward the stage. "What do you guys want? You want money?" Paul begged.

Faith dashed through the curtains, her stake poised. The Vessel barely had time to react as the angry teen slayer raced toward him.

He wrapped his big hand around her wrist. "We've done this before." He said, grinning. "You lost, remember?"

"Yeah, I do." Faith said, putting her boot directly between his legs. Undead or not, he still felt pain. "I also remembered that you're a guy." He growled and released her. She then kicked him as hard as she could in the gut, staggering him back.

Giles grinned. "Thank you, Faith." He said, softly before letting fly. The bolt flew straight into his heart. The large vampire staggered and fell off the stage. He was ash and dust before he hit the floor.

Seeing the oldest and strongest among them reduced to so much Dust-buster feed the remaining vampires fled. Giles took out two more and injured a third. Faith, meanwhile, slammed her stake into one of the vampires that had been manhandling Paul. She raced after the second one. Using her momentum to smash the vampire into the door, as he tried to unlock it, Faith slid the stake in under his ribs. She turned back to the room and felt for more of them but the Bronze was clear.

After helping to clean up Faith went to find Giles. "Hey, G-man, I, uh. Can I crash at your place tonight?" she looked tired. "I mean, I don't know how the whole watcher-slayer thing works but I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Of course, Faith," he smiled at her. "We'll stop by your… where are you staying?"

"The Downtowner Apartments."

"That will never do," Giles sighed, again pulling his glasses off and massaging the bridge of his nose. He had figured her living arrangements were something of the kind. He'd heard rather unsettling things about the low-rent accommodations. Those stories, however, weren't the reason for his dismay.

"Hey, it's all I can afford," she offered with a shrug.

"That's not what I meant, Faith. You're a very resourceful girl, but that is a motel," he paused. "It offers no protection against vampires."

"Oh. Crap," Faith muttered a chill running down her spine at the thought.


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Eggs

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

2\. Bad Eggs

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Principal Flutie's office was beige and brown. Nothing on his desk was sharp or heavy. His suit was gray with a light blue shirt and dark paisley tie. He was just heavy set enough to be out of shape. Everything in the office said inoffensive. It would have screamed it but that might have offended someone.

Faith's school records were the most colorful thing in the room. Flutie gave a cursory glance at them before sitting down. He saw low grades and frequent absences. "Faith Lehane, freshman, coming to us all the way from Boston. Interesting record, quite a career..." Flutie tore the page into four pieces, "Welcome to Sunnydale! A clean slate, Faith, that's what you get here. What's passed is past. We're not interested in what it says on a piece of paper, even if it says... Whoa."

"Mr. Flutie…"

He interrupted her, "All the kids here are free to call me Bob."

"Bob…"

"But they don't," He began reassembling the torn sheet.

"Bob," Faith repeated firmly. "I know my transcripts are a little... ok, they're terrible. But see that's why I'm here."

He glanced up at her.

"I was in a bad situation. My mom… drinks. She couldn't deal. Not with life, bills or me. I was angry and going to school in a bad neighborhood. Not a good combo. Then I found out that my dad ain't dead; he's in prison." She sighed, "I ditched school, caught a bus and went to see him. We talked. He told me I should stay with Uncle Rupert until mom sobers up, get's her act together. Things'll be different here, I promise. Everything'll be five by five."

"Don't worry. Any other school they might say 'watch your step', or 'we'll be watching you'. But, that's just not the way here. We want to service your needs, and help you to respect our needs." He put the poorly repaired sheet back into her file.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith headed to health, her first class of the day. The instructor was writing 'SEX' on the board when she arrived.

"Goody," Faith gave a wan smile and handed him the note from Flutie.

"I'm Mr. Whitmore. Take a seat; you can get to know people on your own time."

Faith found an empty desk next to Xander.

"The sex drive in the human animal is intense. How many of us have lost countless productive hours plagued by unwanted sexual thoughts and feelings?"

Xander began to raise his hand and nod but Faith grabbed the elbow of his checkered overshirt and pulled it down.

"Of course, for teenagers, such as yourselves, these feelings are even more overwhelming. With all sorts of hormones surging through your bodies, compelling you to action, it's often difficult to remember that there are negative consequences to having sex. Would anyone care to offer one such consequence?"

The attractive brunet Faith had bumped into at the Bronze raised her hand. She had on a black turtleneck and a leopard print miniskirt. Mr. Whitmore nodded to her, giving her the floor.

"Well, that depends; are you talking about sex in the car or out of the car?"

Mr. Whitmore looked confused.

"Because I have a friend, not me, that was in a Miata at, parked at the top of the hill, and then she kicked the gearshift, and, and..."

Mr. Whitmore interrupted, "Yeah, I, I was thinking of something a little more commonplace, Ms. Chase."

Willow raises her hand; he nodded again to indicate that she should speak.

"How about pregnancy? That would be a major one, right?" Willow blushed.

"Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg!"

Willow smiled smugly.

"Among teens unwanted pregnancy is the number one negative consequence of sexual activity. So, as discussed last week, I present you with..." he swept a sheet off of two trays of eggs, "...your offspring. You will split into parenting teams. You and your partner will share equally in the daily task of raising your egg. Now, please choose a partner and come pick up your children."

The attractive girl immediately grabbed the shirtsleeve of the boy sitting across from her, "You wanna have a baby?"

Faith, Willow, Amy and Xander waited until the other pairs had selected their egg. "So, who gets Xander?" Faith asked.

"You can have him if you want," Amy offered.

"Do I get a say in this?" Xander raised an eyebrow at her.

"Nope," Willow grabbed an egg.

"Well, looks like it's just you, me and Xander Jr."

"Aw, I wanted to name him scramble," Faith stuck her lower lip out.

"You are no longer allowed to name children or pets," Xander took an egg from the tray.

"Oh, Mr. Whitmore," Willow turned around, "Are these fertilized eggs? Because I can't have pets, and Amy's mom is allergic to feathers."

"No, they're not."

"Good," She sat back down as Mr. Whitmore explained the 'egg diary.'

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The quartet entered the library later that afternoon. Giles looked up from his newspaper, "Why do you have eggs?"

"Well, you know, it's the whole 'sex leads to responsibility' thing, which I personally don't get," Xander answered. "You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values."

"Our egg is Jewish," Willow pouted.

"Then teach it that Dreidel song," the boy placated.

Willow smiled at that.

"Yeah, the only thing that stresses me is when do we tell them that they're adopted?" Amy joked.

The teens all chuckled at that.

"So," Faith grinned at Giles, "Grandpa, are we training here or at home?"

"Don't call me that," the librarian grumbled. "We'll train here."

"Sweet," She moved to get the mats out. "Can Xander train too?"

Giles sighed, took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Only so long as he can keep up with you." He turned to the boy, "I do hope your medical insurance is paid up."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Okay, Xander Jr. has had his bath, been fed, burped, and changed," Faith checked off each item on the list.

"Did you make boiled eggs?" Giles asked.

"Seemed like a waste to boil him alone." Faith passed him an egg salad sandwich and began munching on her own. She frowned slightly at the taste.

Giles took a bite, "Ugh! I believe these eggs are off."

Faith shrugged, "Better that week old bread scrounged out of a bakery dumpster."

"Oh, Faith," the watcher said softly.

"What?"

"I'll make dinner," Giles began pulling out a pair of steaks. "And would you like a packed lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure, I guess," Faith cocked her head at him. He just gave her a sad little smile and asked how she liked her steak. They talked all through dinner; mostly about her and what she liked.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles walked out from behind the stacks to get more books to shelve. Xander, Willow, Amy and Faith were at the bottom of the steps looking up at him. "Oh! Why are you lot hanging about? Don't you have classes to go to?"

"Health got canceled," Faith told him.

"Mr. Whitmore's out. Couldn't find an egg sitter or something," Xander joked.

"Well, then, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure!" everyone but Willow replied cheerfully.

"Willow, are you feeling alright?" Giles asked the girl. "You seem a little sluggish."

She shrugged and sat at the study table clutching the basket her egg was in.

"Are you quite sure everything's alright?" he pressed.

"Maybe something I ate," she mumbled.

"Or perhaps it's the burden of parenthood. Notice how seriously you've taken this egg thing," Xander ribbed her. He took Xander Jr. out of his shirt pocket. "While we, in turn, have, uh, well, chosen a more balanced approach." He tossed the egg to Faith, who tossed it back.

"Xander, maybe you shouldn't," Willow began.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," He continued to toss the egg. "You can't stress over every little thing! A child picks up on that. Which is a one-way ticket to neurotic city." He tossed the egg to Amy but missed her return.

Amy and Willow gasped in fright as the egg hit the floor. Xander picked the unbroken egg up while throwing a sheepish grin at Faith.

"It didn't break!" Willow gasped. "How come it didn't break?" She narrowed her eyes at Xander.

"Which is another secret to conscientious egg care: a pot of scalding water and about eight minutes," The boy replied.

"You boiled your young?" Willow gaped at him.

"Not me, Faith."

"I know it sounds cruel," the slayer said, "but sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind! I mean, you can bet that Xander Jr. is thick-skinned now."

"Isn't that, technically, cheating?" Amy looked at Xander as she shelved a large tome. At the back of the shelf was an egg.

"No! It's like a shortcut. You know, when you run a race?" he tried.

"That would also be cheating," Amy laughed.

"You should be ashamed," Willow glared at Faith.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The night watchman walked along the corridor checking doors to ensure that they were locked. He stopped at the intersection and glanced each way. To his right the door to the basement stood ajar. He moved over to it. He opened the door wider. The watchman looked inside then went down the steps making no attempt to be quiet. At the bottom he found the doors to the boiler room were open. He stepped in and tried the light switch. Nothing happened.

"Hello?" He called pulling out his Maglite. "Is anybody in here?"

He turned the flashlight on and continued into the room. Just past the boilers, there was a huge hole in the concrete wall hidden behind a stack of boxes. The watchman moved cautiously over to the stack with his flashlight held over his shoulder like a bat, lighting the way but ready to swing if need be.

No one was there. He set his Maglite down and pushed a stack of boxes aside. A tunnel continued on beyond the hole. Grabbing his flashlight again he stepped up to look into the hole.

His was oblivious to the approach of Mr. Whitmore behind him. He would have been shocked to see the teacher carrying a pickax and dumbfounded when the man struck him with it, knocking him unconscious.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The next day at lunchtime Xander was snacking on a candy bar. He looked down at the off-brand chocolate coated treat as he chewed the unyielding caramel, "Mm, Cardboardy." The boy sat on the wall and finished the rest of the candy bar. "Still hungry." Xander opened his satchel and dug through it. He pulled his egg out. He regarded Xander Jr. for a moment. Sighing Xander decided, "Sorry, Junior, but a man's gotta eat." He tapped the egg on the wall next to him and rolled it back and forth under his hand. Xander smiled and nodded at the girls when he noticed them heading his way. "Hey." He held up the egg, ready to take a bite. Xander looked back to the egg as he raised it to his face. A purplish-gray creature, dead from being boiled, was curled inside. A startled shout escaped him as he tossed the egg away.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

They entered the library and called frantically, "Giles! Giles!"

"What?" he asked emerging from the stacks.

Faith thrust the half peeled egg at him.

"Gyughhh!" Giles flinched back from the hard-boiled demon embryo.

"I see your 'Gyughhh!' and raise you a Nyaghhh!" Xander huffed, "I almost ate that thing."

"What is it?" the watcher asked.

"Xander Jr.," Faith told him.

"So, now I guess, uh, we know what happened to Mr. Whitmore," Xander said.

"He saw this and ran away?" Amy asked hopefully.

"Without warning the students that their egg-babies are contaminated?" Faith frowned. "I don't think so."

"Faith?" Giles pointed to a thick book, "Would you get me that tome out of the cage?"

The slayer did as she was asked. Giles shut and locked the cage door behind her. Furrowing her brow Faith kicked the door open. It struck him in the face.

"Oh, bloody perfect," He went down with a thud.

Willow brained Amy with a thick tome. Then she turned to Xander.

"Willow! What..." he shouted.

Faith punched the girl in the back of the head.

"What are we gonna do?" Xander asked.

"See if you can wake Amy. We can't fight these things until we know something about 'em. So we look it up," the slayer answered. She drug Giles and Willow to the cage.

"In what?" the boy asked while he checked on their friend.

"A book," she said slowly.

"Which one?"

"I'll start with this one," she moved to grab the tome Giles had specified earlier. One of the grey-purple creatures leaped at her from behind the book. Faith shrieked, but managed to bat the thing away on pure reflex. She grabbed the thick book and slammed it down on the wriggling creature. "Gross," She lifted the goo covered tome. Tossing it on the table Faith went into Giles' office to grab some paper towels.

"Even with Amy this'll take forever," Xander complained. He helped the girl into a chair.

"Yeah," Faith called back. "Plus we don't know if the book we need is even here." She sighed, "Slayers are not cut out for research."

Xander snorted, "Yeah, well we're short one Watcher guy, we gotta try."

"We're short one Watcher guy, but maybe we can get a hold of the Watcher's Council!" Faith came out of the office with the Rolodex. She navigated her way through the phone system and finally reached the home office. "Is this Quintin Travers?"

"Yes. What can I do for you, Miss Lehane?" a gruff British voice asked her.

"I need you to look up a creature…"

"Why?"

"Because you're a watcher, what else are you good for? Your job is to help the slayer. Look this thing is latched onto Giles' spine. I need to know how to stop it. So, grab a book and start looking for a mind control parasite, scorpion-like, about a foot long, purple-grey, slimy, six legs, bulky mandibles, eggs like a chicken."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

A line of students led up to the hole. One by one they stepped through and slowly made their way down the tunnel. At the end, they found a cavern twice as wide as it was tall with a deep pit on the far side. A path of crude plywood ramps made the uneven ground safe to traverse.

Strong and able-bodied students were given pickaxes, shovels and other digging equipment to excavate more of the floor. Less fit students were pulling eggs from the crevices, cleaning them and placing them in boxes. Mr. Whitmore and the night watchman stood sentry, ensuring each new entry was assigned a suitable task.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Bezoar? Like the hairball of a goat?" the slayer asked into the phone.

"Yes, the spelling and pronunciation are the same," Travers answered. "It is a pre-historic parasite. The mother hibernates underground, laying eggs. The offspring then attaches to a host, taking control of their motor functions through neural clamping."

"That sounds unpleasant," Faith grimaced. "How do I get it off of Giles?"

"Do not attack the parasites directly," he warned. "While not a hive mind they do communicate telepathically through the Bezoar. Each parasite will either be enlarging the den or acquiring more hosts. The hosts are worked into exhaustion. The Bezoar then eats expended hosts. You must sneak into its den and kill the Bezoar before it can reassign the parasites to attack you."

"How are we going to find the den?"

Before she could get an answer screams of desperation rang out from the hall. "Somebody help me! Get this thing off me! Get this... Somebody help me! Help!"

Faith and Xander ran into the hall. A short boy with dark hair – Jonathan Livingston from her Algebra class if Faith remembered correctly – was struggling with a parasite. Still screaming the boy fell to the floor. The screaming stopped and Jonathan got back up.

"Are you okay?" Xander asked

"I'm fine. I slipped," was the emotionless reply. Jonathan turned and headed down the hall.

Faith and Xander exchanged a look. Xander shot back into the library to let Amy know that they were following Jonathan to the Bezoar den. He then ran to catch up Faith.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Jonathan walked into the boiler room and headed straight for the hole in the wall. Faith and Xander cautiously slipped into the room as Jonathan climbed through the hole. The pair followed him into the tunnel.

The digging and egg gathering activity continued in the Bezoar den. Faith and Xander peeked into the room.

"I'm gonna need a weapon. A **big** weapon," Faith whispered.

"I'll handle it. Um, can you, uh, hold down the fort?" Xander asked with more confidence than he felt.

"Yeah," Faith replied, nodding.

Xander walked into the room staring blankly ahead. A large brunette boy handed Xander a chunk of rock to carry away. He took it but quickly dropped it to the side. He passed the night watchman to get to the pile of digging tools. Grabbing a pair of pickaxes Xander made his way back to Faith.

Together they advanced toward the pit, tapping their pickaxes on the rock here and there as they went. Faith jumped into the pit. She slashed at the Bezoar, ripping its flesh. The monster's screams reverberated through the cavern.

The digging activity in the room came to a stop. As the students and teachers gathered around the pit to watch Xander spotted a tentacle slithering toward Faith. He leaped into the pit between her and it. He slammed the pick into the tentacle pinning it to the floor.

Streaked with slime and panting Faith pierced the eye of the creature. She struck the bulbous orb again and again. Vitreous oozed out of the large socket. The Bezoar finally went silent.

The hosts collapsed to the floor, the parasites falling from their backs.

Faith helped Xander climb out of the pit. "I need a serious shower," the slayer wiped various slimes from her face and arms.

Xander nodded, "You can head to the girls' locker room I'll go check on the gang."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Yes, yes, uh, i-i-it was a-a, a gas leak, everyone. Uh, well, just, uh, get some air, and a... good night's rest, you know, uh, you'll be fine. These gas things... will happen," Giles stuttered through an explanation to the students milling about. He turned to Xander as the boy approached him, "W-w-what was it really?"

"Mind control parasites," Xander tried to sound casual. Sirens were blaring in the distance.

Giles nodded, "How is Faith?"

"Tired and worried about you. She's getting cleaned up."

"Did I…"

"Tried to lock her in the book cage. She kicked the door in your face." Xander gave him a lopsided grin. "Trust me, she knows it wasn't you. She's fine, G."

Giles touched the bridge of his nose gingerly. "Trust is what I'm worried about."

Faith came out with Willow and Amy. Willow was apologizing to the young witch. Faith smiled when she spotted the guys. She jogged over to them and threw her arms around Giles.

"Um, well," he patted her back with one hand. "There, there."

Sensing his discomfort Faith pulled back and gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder, "Glad you're okay."

Giles blushed slightly and gave her a soft smile. "Yes, well…thanks to you." He said, patting her shoulder. "Let's get everyone home."

"Good idea." Faith said, returning his grin with a smirk.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles groaned into his pillow as he heard the knock on his bedroom door. "Come on, G. Time to get up." He looked at his alarm clock and noted that it was just after eight in the morning on a Saturday.

"Bloody hell," he said, groggily. Given the day they'd both had previously, he'd hoped beyond hope that she'd have been willing to be a normal teenage girl for once and sleep in. Abandoning any prospect of doing just that, he rolled to his side and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm up. I'm up. Stop that infernal pounding," he shouted to her.

"I'll put some tea on," she said from the other side of the door.

"Yes." He said rubbing his eyes as he heard her thunder down the stairs. "You do that." He rose to his feet and gathered his clothing for a shower.

Faith put the kettle on the stove and turned it up. She grabbed a dozen eggs out of the fridge and stopped, staring at them. The image of the egg popping open to reveal something from an H.R. Giger painting shot across her mind caused her to think twice. "Yeah. Gonna be a while before I cook you guys again." Faith said as she put the eggs back. She instead pulled out the bread, ham, and cheese and decided on grilled ham melts.

She set about slicing the cheese, buttering the bread and frying them off. She removed the pot of water when it was ready, poured it into his beautifully crafted bone china teapot and placed the black and white cow shaped tea cozy over it. She set this on the tea tray with two cups and took it into the living room and placed it on the coffee table.

The sandwiches had just finished cooking when Giles came down the stairs. "Good morning, Faith."

"Mornin' Tweed." She said, offering a plate with two ham and cheese sandwiches cut in half. "Thought you might want something to eat to start the day."

He gave her a warm smile. "Why, thank you Faith." He took the plate and made for the living room. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you cooking me breakfast?"

"Well, you're letting me get down and dirty with your Citroen. I figure I oughtta do somethin' to pay you back for that." Faith said, taking a plate with three of her own sandwiches in to sit across from him. "It's gonna be a rough build, but I've been doing some checking. Parts are almost nonexistent for something like that in the states. Yours, from what I saw had the one point nine-liter." She shook her head. "I did a little checking around town and found a wrecking yard up north that had a sixty-nine DS. Talked to the guy over the phone and he says that the engine in that one is still good, but it's a two point three liter. So I figure we'll go up there today, I'll check it out and see if it's worth it, and if so pick it up and swap it straight across." She gave him a shrug. "Easy."

He stopped eating and stared at her. He knew she was making light of the task. Swapping engines in a car without the proper space and tools to do so would be a monumental undertaking. Not something, as far as he knew, that could be done in a single weekend. "It sounds as if it would be cheaper and easier in the long run just to buy a new car."

Faith shrugged. "Depends on what's all wrong with your car. And engine replacement takes care of everything that is mechanically wrong that I heard. If you have suspension or drivetrain problems then you're looking at serious bread. The guy only wanted six hundred bucks for the engine of the other Citroen. If it's in good shape, that's a pretty good deal."

Giles sighed and nodded. He knew next to nothing about cars and even less about pricing of said automobiles. To him, six hundred dollars for the engine of a car seemed rather expensive. But he had to trust that Faith knew what she was doing. "I'll leave it to you."

She smiled and gave him a nod. It was nice to be trusted.

They finished breakfast and climbed into Giles' car and made their way toward the wrecking yard. "Just out of curiosity, how many junkyards does Sunnydale have?" He asked as they drove along.

"Three inside city limits." Faith said. "Another four once you get into unincorporated Sunnydale County." She was concentrating on the ride and movement of the car now, instead of just the engine. From what she was able to feel, the suspension was a touch on the saggy side but wasn't beyond what was expected for a rig that had been pampered since it was brand new. "We might wanna look into putting some new shocks and struts on this thing when we get a chance." She offered. "It's a bit soft."

Giles gave a noncommittal grunt. The more Faith told him of the car, the more he was starting to dislike it.

The pair reached the car yard and followed the short round man in the coveralls out into the yard itself. "This is it." He said, motioning to the Citroen he'd spoken about. The rear end had suffered a massive collision. The tail was pushed clear up into the boot. "Ass end is toast, but the engine is still in pretty good shape."

Faith immediately popped the hood and looked around. "Yeah, it's a two point three liter," she said, pulling a small flashlight out of her pocket. She checked it all over. "Doesn't look like it's leaking or anything." Giles had to give her credit, her check was meticulous. Faith ran her fingers along the side of the block, under the edges and all around the carburetor. "She's clean as a whistle. I think she's been rebuilt."

The owner shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Just got her about a week ago. Really ain't had time to tear into her."

"Can we hear the engine run?" Faith asked.

"Haven't tried starting it, to be honest," he said. "She didn't come with keys."

"That's not a problem," Giles said moving over to the driver's side. "I own one very similar and have had to improvise on occasion." He reached under the dashboard and pulled a handful of wires from beneath. He tapped a pair of them together and caused the car to tick over. After giving the gas pedal a push, the engine fired right up.

Faith reached in and pushed the throttle back. "She sounds good." She said, nodding. "You know what? We'll take it."

"You want the whole car or just the engine?" The man asked her.

Faith looked at Giles a moment, then climbed underneath the car to look around. She found that the shocks and suspension looked to be all brand new. Given what she knew of Giles' car, pretty much everything could be solved by parting out this one. "We'll go ahead and take the whole thing." She climbed out from beneath it. "What are you looking to get?" She asked him. "Keep in mind, I'm a car girl. I know what you've got and I know what it's worth."

He stared at her. "Two grand." He said, simply. Faith reached up and began running her fingers through the man's hair. He stepped back, looking at her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to find the goose egg, because you must have bumped your head." She said to him. "Two grand is about three times more than this piece of shit is worth and we both know it. The engine is just about the only thing on this heap that's worth a damn and you want six hundred for that. The chances of anyone coming in here looking for Citroen DS parts is slim to none." She pointed to Giles. "He's one of four, _four_ people in Sunnydale County that has a Citroen DS licensed to him. The other three are in the hands of private collectors." She shook her head. "The only one that would be looking for this kind of thing is standing right here." She narrowed her eyes. "And you ain't the only one in the county with parts. He _can_ go elsewhere. And if you keep trying to shaft us, that's exactly what we'll do."

The man stared at her. "Fine. Twelve hundred. Not a penny less."

"Grand." Faith said, crossing her arms. "Not a penny more. Given the current market, you're making about two hundred dollars profit at that price."

"Gotta have at least eleven." He said, shaking his head. "Can't take less than that."

Faith shrugged. "Nice talkin' to you." She said. "Come on, tweed. There's a place out by Mission Canyon that's got a sixty-four that's in decent shape." Giles followed behind her as they made for the exit of the yard.

She was surprised. The pair of them nearly made it to the gate before he shouted back. "Ten-fifty." She stopped and looked back at him.

Slowly she walked back toward him. "Ten-fifty?" She asked, making sure she heard him right. "That includes the entire car, title and all." She said to him. "And _you_ haul it for us."

He sighed and offered his hand. "Fine."

"Deal." She said, shaking it. "Appreciate you doing business with us."

"You need a job, by any chance?" He asked her.

Faith and Giles both looked at him. "Doing what?" Faith asked him.

"Negotiating with the people that come in lookin' for stuff." He said, smiling. "You're good."

"Don't know." Faith said, shrugging. "I'll have to think about it."

"Let me know soon, yeah?" The man said.

After paying for the car, Giles asked her several questions. "How did you know there were only four Citroen DS's registered in Sunnydale County?"

"Didn't. I was just makin' that shit up." Faith said. "But he didn't know that."

"So you lied to him?" Giles asked her.

"I was bluffing. Huge difference. I have a hell of a poker face."

"That also begs the question, where exactly did you wish to do this? Surely not on the street in front of my flat."

"I figured since you're a staff member, we could do it at the auto shop at school." Faith said. "I talked to Mr. Gates. He said that as long as I've got adult supervision, he doesn't mind me using the shop over the weekend. I told him you were gonna be there. You've got, like keys and stuff, right?"

Giles stared at her a moment. "You know, I would never have thought of that. How very resourceful of you."

"I try." Faith said, grinning.

As the day progressed, and Faith tore into the pair of Citroens, Giles was incredibly impressed. For the most part, he sat at a table reading as the young girl went to work. He had to admit the music she chose wasn't bad. She'd settled on the local classic rock station and had the volume cranked up. Currently, _Whole Lotta Love_ by Led Zeppelin was blaring out of the speakers.

With the extremely well-appointed auto shop, Faith had managed to finish her work at just after nine at night. A little over ten hours, all told.

"Moment of truth." She said, stepping back from the car. "You wanna do the honors?" She asked him.

He moved over and looked at what she'd done. "Good lord. That's quite a bit larger, isn't it?"

"Well, the original one point nine had about seventy-five ponies brand new. Figure yours, you were lucky to get fifty. But this thing, after I acid dipped it, cleaned it up and put it back together," She pointed off to the side. "And with that turbo added, you're looking at about one hundred and seventy-five horses." She turned to him. "You're gonna have a lot more power when you put your foot into it."

Giles gave her a nod and moved around, sliding behind the wheel. He pumped the gas and turned the key over. The car ticked over but refused to catch.

Faith expected as much and poured a bit of gas into the carburetor. "Try it now." She said to him. Again he turned the key. The car hesitated for a moment then turned over. She smiled and pulled back on the throttle. The engine wailed sharply. "Nice." She stepped back and looked to him with a thumbs up.

He climbed out of the car, happy as a clam. "Good show." He said, giving her a grin of his own.

After cleaning up the shop, Faith went back to Giles' flat and took a shower. When she emerged, she smelled something truly wonderful. She slid on a pair of sweatpants and a loose fitting tank top then headed out of her bedroom and went down the stairs. Sitting on the coffee table was a large bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, complete with biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy and potato wedges.

Giles himself was sitting at his desk, poring over a tome. "You should eat something." He said, trying not to smile.

Faith simply stared at the meal. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

He held up a plate with a few chicken strips and a bit mashed potatoes. "I've been seen to. The rest is for the young mechanic in the room." He looked at her with a bright fatherly smile. "As a thank you for raising the dead."

"It wasn't so much resurrection as it was performing defib." Faith said, tucking into her chicken. "God, this is good. Thank you." She said, between bites.

"You're welcome, Faith." He said, going back to his work. The sound of the slayer joyfully inhaling her food was more a sign of appreciation than any words of gratitude.


	3. Chapter 3: Teacher's Pet

**Faith the Vampire Slayer:**

 **The Master**

 **3\. Teacher's Pet**

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The girl screamed as the vampire advanced on her. Faith stepped between them, "Wanna dance?" She clocked him with a solid right to the jaw and a left jab in the gut. He shook it off and lunged at her. Catching the slayer around the waist the vampire threw her onto a pool table. He pinned her hands at her sides and leaned in to bite her neck.

"Mind if I cut in?" Xander asked suavely as he brained the vampire with a pool cue. The irate vampire turned to the boy. Before the undead menace could retort Xander punched him in the mush. He grabbed the monster by the hair, pulled him down and kneed him in the face. The vampire fell to the floor, unconscious. "Are you okay?" Xander offered Faith his hand to help her off the pool table.

"Thanks, Xan," Faith flashed him her zillion-watt smile. As she slid off the table she noticed, "Your hand! Will you…"

"…still be able to finish my solo and kiss you like you've never been kissed before?" Xander grabbed the broken pool cue and drove it into the vampire's chest. "I'll manage." He strode back to the stage.

As he played Faith gazed adoringly at him. "You're drooling," she whispered.

Xander gave her a confused look.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith hissed his name again, careful not to attract the teacher's attention. At the front of the darkened classroom, Dr. Gregory clicked to the next slide. When Xander finally looked her way Faith pointed to the corner of her mouth. Xander quickly picked up her meaning and wiped his mouth and chin.

"Their ancestors were here long before we were. Their progeny will be here long after we are gone. The simple and ubiquitous ant," Dr. Gregory turned off the projector. The lights came on and he began pacing the aisles. "Now, if you read the homework you should know the two ways that ants communicate." He stopped in front of Faith. "Miss Lehane?"

"Touch," She answered.

He nodded, "Mm-hmm."

"And pheromones," she added confidently.

"Correct," He smiled. "It looks like we finally have some competition for Miss Rosenberg. Alright, chapters six through eight by tomorrow, people," he said as the bell rang.

Faith was glad that Giles had helped with her homework. He'd read yesterday's chapters to her while she did her cardio. Little things like that made it easy for them to find the time to train, but still keep up with her school work.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"This captivating craftsman restoration has two bedrooms upstairs, a pool, a two-car garage, one and a half baths, and wood flooring throughout," the real estate agent rattled off. "The kitchen is beautiful. It features granite counter tops and all stainless steel appliances. The laundry is in the mud room but the stackable comes with the house."

"No space to exercise," was all Faith had to say. Giles was looking for something with a den or an extra bedroom for his books, so they moved on.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"This lovely home has three bedrooms, a home office, laundry upstairs and a sun deck," She said with pride.

"It's cute, but where's the garage?"

"There is curbside parking," the lady informed them.

"Not after all the work I put into the Citroen," Faith said flatly.

"It's a very affluent neighborhood," She reassured them.

"Vetoed: nothing without a garage. Two-car preferably," Faith put her foot down. "And while we're at it why show us anything that hasn't got our wish list covered? Garage, preferably two-car and attached; two or three bedrooms, and a den or office. How hard is that? Really?"

Giles thought it was rather large, without actually offering any amenities. And that the neighborhood was less 'affluent' and more 'expensive', so they moved on.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Two-car garage, three bedrooms, the master is downstairs, bonus room, screened in porch, no mud room, but there is a utility room, patio, spa, and pool," the agent showed them through the modern craftsman bungalow. "In the kitchen: a built-in breakfast nook, island, and plenty of counter space. This area opens to the vaulted great room on one side and the dining room – which boasts a beautiful decorative ceiling – on the other. The home features an eccentric amount of built-in shelving and walk-in closets in all of the bedrooms."

"This looks good," Faith nodded her approval as she mentally mapped out space for a heavy bag, a wooden man, and some weights.

Giles ran his hand over the shelves in the great room; or as he was now mentally referring to it, the library. It could easily fit all the books he has at his flat and half the ones he was storing at the school. It was perfect.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The band on stage as Faith finish busing her last table was trying to be alternative rock but was fast slipping into the realm of emo. The beat was too slow to dance to and even the singer sounded bored with the lazy lyrics.

Xander met her at the bar. Two boys, one Faith recognized from biology, were discussing their conquests.

"Seven, including Cheryl," the boy Faith recognized said. "I'll tell you, though, her sister was lookin' to make it eight."

"Ooo," the other boy crowed, "Cheryl's sister? The one in college?"

"Home for the holidays and lookin' for love!" The first one confirmed. "She's not my type, though. Girls really gotta have something to go with me."

Xander smirked, "Something like a lobotomy?"

"Xander," the boy said snidely. "How many times you score?"

"Well, uh..." Xander stuttered.

Faith jumped in to save him, "Only a virgin brags about the number of girls he's had one bump and grind with." She flashed Xander an adoring look, "We regularly get all sweaty together and he always leaves me satisfied. Would Cheryl say the same of you if I asked her?"

Xander swallowed.

"Way to go, Harris," the second boy gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder.

"Speaking of," Faith took off her apron and name tag, "walk me home?"

"Duty calls," he took her offered hand and the pair sauntered to the door. "Thanks."

"I can't stand guys like that." Faith smirked, "Besides I find a good workout very satisfying." On the way to Giles' car, they strode past a darkened, trash-strewn alley. Faith stopped and peered into that darkness. The back of her neck tingled lightly. "Get to the car," she pushed Xander towards the Citroen.

"Why?" He asked, not understanding. The slayer pulled a short stake out of her jeans pocket. "Oh. Right." He immediately trotted toward the old British saloon.

A dark form approached her slowly from the far end of the lane. "Hey," a familiar silky voice offered. Faith moved into a fighting stance as the telltale tingle increased with every step he took. "Whoa, I come in peace!" he raised his hands.

Faith saw the dark somewhat creepy man from the Bronze. "You need to get out of here. There's a vampire nearby."

"Yeah," he said, giving her a smarmy smirk, "About that."

She stared at him a moment. That's all it took to realize…"Oh, you gotta be _kiddin'_ me!" As he looked somewhat sheepish, she continued to look him over. The leather knee length jacket, the black clothes, the dark eyes, the pale skin and jet black hair…"You know, it really isn't surprising, now that I think about it," she offered calmly.

"I'm not the vampire you think I am," he said, trying to placate her.

"Do you drink blood? Have a wicked hard time getting a tan? Do ya eat people?" she asked him, crossing her arms.

"Yes. Yes and…" he thought a moment, "No."

"Then you're exactly the vampire I think – wait, what?" she asked, confused.

"I fed on a girl about your age…beautiful. Dumb as a post…but a favorite among her clan."

"Her clan? What was she, a Ninja?" Faith asked.

"Romany. Gypsies. The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."

Faith didn't really understand much about Gypsies, to be honest. What she'd heard was that they were thieves that stole anything that wasn't nailed down when they came to a town, but that was likely racist tripe.

He noted her confused look and continued, "When you become a vampire the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone. No conscience, no remorse… It's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like to have done the things I've done…and to care. I haven't fed on a living human being since that day."

Faith listened to him and shook her head. "We all have our problems," she said, dismissively. "But seriously, dude. Depeche Mode called and they want their brooding and their wardrobe back."

He frowned, giving her a rather adorable pout, "I kind of like Depeche Mode."

"You would," She said to him. "Okay, _Personal Jesus_ wasn't terrible," She admitted after second. "What the hell is your name, anyway? Gettin' tired of calling you 'Creepy Stalker Guy' to my friends."

He narrowed his eyes, "You call me 'Creepy Stalker Guy'?" As she smiled he wasn't amused. "Do I come off that way? Really?"

"You pimp around in the shadows and just kind of show up like you're followin' me," Faith said. "Kinda fit the bill there, Lestat."

"I will bite you," He returned, deadpan. "My name is Angel."

Faith bit off a snort. "What's the matter, parents lose a bet?"

He gave her a snarl synonymous with his vampiric breed, "No. They're dead. I, the vampire in me killed them. When I was turned I was given the name Angelus. I'm not that monster now. I'm also not the man I was while alive."

"So, Angel." Faith nodded. "You hanging about to give me a cryptic warning about some exciting new catastrophe? Or was this a social call?"

"A former member of the Order of Aurelius is in town. Don't let him corner you. Don't give him a moment's mercy. He'll rip your throat out," Angel pulled his jacket down. Faith grimaced at the sight of the wounds on his shoulder. "He replaced his right hand with a metal claw."  
"Thanks for the warning. And for being less cryptic, Angel," Faith watched the ensouled vampire slink back into the night. She headed to the car to find Giles a few feet from the mouth of the alley. "You heard?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I shall see what I can find about this 'Angel,' or any vampire with a soul. He hasn't attacked you, and he could have the first time you met," Giles reasoned. "We shall keep our guard up around him all the same."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

As Giles and Faith approached the school the librarian glanced at the sky, "God, every day here is the same." They stopped next to a bench where Amy and Willow were discussing their English homework.

"Yes, because clouds and fog ninety percent of the time is way more interesting," Faith snickered.

"It really is," Giles turned to head to the library. "Good morning," he greeted Xander as the boy limped up to them.

"Mornin'," the boy greeted him weakly. "Guess what I just heard in the office? No Dr. Gregory today. I can't believe I did the homework for nothing."

"Learning is its own reward," Giles chided mildly as he walked off.

"Oh, please Xan, Giles read us the chapters while we worked on endurance," she gave him a light push.

"What happened, is he sick?" Willow asked.

"They didn't say anything about sick, something about missing," he informed them.

"He's missing?" Amy repeated.

"Well, let me think. Um, the cheerleaders were modeling their new short skirts, that kinda got... Yeah! Yeah, they said missing," he nodded.

Faith furrowed her brow at the news. People missing was _never_ a good thing.

"Which is bad," Xander added. "On account of what happened with Mr. Whitmore."

An attractive woman with high cheekbones, hazel eyes and dark brown hair cut in an updated flip do was headed toward the school. The sun was still low and haloed her as she approached the group.

"I, uh, huh..." Xander stuttered.

"Could you help me?" Her voice was smoky.

"Uh... Yes!" The teen nodded.

"I'm looking for Science... 109."

"Oh! It's, um..." Xander glanced from side to side in a desperate attempt to get his brain to function. "I go there every day!"

She chuckled in response.

Xander looked at the three girls, "Oh, God, where is it?"

They simply shrugged, each sporting a mischievous grin as they watched their friend flounder.

The braggart from the Bronze capitalized on Xander's weakness, "Hi! Blayne Mall. I'm going there right now. It's not far from the varsity field where I took All-City last year."

"Oh! Thank you, Blayne!" The woman cooed. Xander stared as Blayne lead her away.

"It's funny how the Earth never opens up and swallows you when you want it to," the teen pouted.

The three girls nodded, still grinning.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

As the group filed into science Faith saw a pair of glasses on the floor. picking them up she noticed that they were Dr. Gregory's. Faith frowned.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked.

"Dr. Gregory's glasses," Faith set them on the lab table. "Why would he leave them?" Faith eyed the woman writing on the board. Without the blazer, her short skirt and sleeveless v-neck top were wholly inappropriate for a teacher to wear. Not that the guys were complaining.

"My name is Natalie French, and I will be substituting for Dr. Gregory," She turned to face the class.

"Do you know when he's coming back?" Amy asked.

"No, I don't, um," Ms. French glanced at the roster, "Willow. They just call and tell me where they want me."

"Amy actually," the teen witch corrected at the same time Blayne muttered, "I'll tell you where I want you."

"Excuse me, Blayne?" The substitute raised her eyebrow.

"Uh, I was just wondering if you were gonna pick up where Dr. Gregory left off," he covered.

"Yes," Ms. French smiled. "His notes tell me you were right in the middle of insect life." She picked up a praying mantis mounted in a clear plastic box, "The praying mantis is a fascinating creature. Forced to live alone. Who can tell me why? Amy?"

"Well, the words 'bug-ugly' kinda spring to mind," Amy offered. The class tried to cover their laughter.

"There is nothing ugly about these unique creatures. The reason they live alone is because they're cannibals," she said.

"Eww!" Everyone in the class was disgusted.

"Oh, well, it's hardly their fault! It's the way nature designed them: noble, solitary and prolific. Over eighteen hundred species worldwide, and in nearly all of them the female is larger _and_ more aggressive than the male," She explained.

Blayne leaned over to Faith, "Nothing wrong with an aggressive female."

Faith gave him a look, "According to last night's homework when unconfined in laboratory terrariums, the majority of praying mantis mating ends with the male flying off, unharmed. Mantises aren't very aggressive. They're ambush predators."

Ms. French picked up her notebook, frowning at the conversing students. She began walking around the room as she lectured, "The California Mantis lays her eggs, and then finds a mate," she locked eyes with Xander, "to fertilize them. Once he's played his part, she covers the eggs in a protective sack and attaches it to a leaf or twig out of danger. Now, if she's done her job correctly, in a few months she'll have several hundred offspring." Ms. French made her way back to the front of the class. Setting her notebook back down she announced, "We should make some model egg sacks for the science fair. Who would like to help me do that after school?"

Every boy in the class raised his hand.

"Good!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Hot dog surprise," Faith scrunched her nose. "Thank God Giles packs my lunch."

Willow nodded, "Call me old-fashioned, I don't want any more surprises in my hot dogs."

"You can have hot dogs? I thought…"

"We get all beef kosher dogs," Willow explained. "These I can't eat."

"I wonder what she sees in me? It's probably the quiet good looks coupled with a certain smoky magnetism," Xander murmured. At Amy's raised eyebrows he added, "Miss French. You three are probably a little young to understand what an older woman would see in a younger man.

"Oh, I understand," Amy shot back.

"Good!"

"The younger man is too dumb to wonder why an older woman can't find someone her own age, and too desperate to care about the surgical improvements!" She continued.

Faith laughed.

"What surgical improvements?" Xander balked.

"Well, he is young," Willow smiled at Amy.

"And so terribly innocent!" Faith added bumping him with her hip as she moved passed him to grab a milk carton.

"Hey, you don't know those are fake!" He pouted.

Blayne slid into the middle of the group, "Gotta carb up for my one-on-one with Miss French today." He turned to Xander, "When's yours? Oh, right, tomorrow. You came in second, I came in first. Guess that's what they call natural selection."

"Yes, the older female backs down and accepts a lesser male, when the prime beefcake is taken," Faith wrapped her arm around Xander's waist. "He's busy tonight anyway," She licked her lips seductively, removing any doubt as to what he would be doing.

Blayne slunk off into the crowded cafeteria.

Willow stared at Faith wide-eyed.

Amy asked, "And just what are Beefcake's plans this evening?"

"He's going to help Giles and I move boxes."

"He said strength training!" Xander hissed.

"Do you have any idea how much a box of books weighs?" Faith grinned.

Ms. Chase strode into the lunch line, bumping into Faith, "Excuse you!"

"Sorry, Legs, I was distracted by the seventies throwback dress. Very brave of you." The slayer smirked.

"What do you know?" The teen socialite stomped off. "Medically prescribed lunch. My doctor ships it daily... I'll only be here as long as I can hold my breath." She waved a slip of paper at the cafeteria staff. Ms. Chase opened one of the refrigerators. She let out an ear piercing scream followed by hysterical babbling, "His head! His head! Oh, my God, where's his head?!"

Faith and Xander dashed over. Faith took a look at the body, while Xander moved Ms. Chase away from the scene.

"Easy, Cordelia, slow deep breathes," he soothed as he led her to her friends.

Willow and Amy peered into the fridge as well. The red head turned an alarming shade of green. The witch turned away from the headless corpse. The lab coat he was wearing said 'Dr. Gregory.'

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith's hands were shaking. She paced back and forth across the library. Willow and Amy were sitting on the steps, crying. Xander was at the table with his head in his hands. Giles handed the boy a glass of water.

"Thanks, Giles."

The librarian handed a Faith a glass as well, "Here. Drink this."

"I'm fine," She said taking the glass.

"I know," Giles patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Xander set his now empty glass down, "I've never seen... I mean, I've never seen anything like... That was new."

"Who would wanna hurt Dr. Gregory?" Willow asked, her voice pleading for answers.

"Uh, he didn't have any enemies on the staff that I'm aware of. He was a civilized man. I liked him," Giles leaned against the table to give Faith room to pace.

"We're gonna find out who did this," Amy said in a quiet but hard tone. "We'll find them and we'll stop them."

"Count on it," Faith agreed sharply.

"Very well," Giles retrieved a legal pad and some files from his office. "What do we know?"

"Oh, not a lot, um...," Willow began.

"He was killed here on campus," Faith stated. "I'm guessing the last day we saw him."

"How do you work that out?" Giles encouraged.

"He didn't change his clothing," the slayer explained.

"This is a question that no one particularly wants to hear, but..." Xander put in, "Where did they put his head?"

Willow nodded, "I didn't wanna hear that."

"It's not Claw-guy, he doesn't do heads," Faith said thinking aloud.

"Not historically. There was an incident two nights ago..." Giles indicated the file folder next to his notes, "...uh, involving a homeless person in Weatherly Park. He was practically shredded, but, uh, nothing like Dr. Gregory."

"And Dr. Gregory's blood wasn't drained," Willow added.

"So there's something else out there? Besides the Claw? Oh, this is fun, we're on Monster Island," Xander sighed.

"We're on a Hellmouth. It's a center of mystical convergence," Amy paused. "Guess it's the same thing."

"So we hit Weatherly Park tonight," Faith looked at Giles. "Deal with the threat we know more about."

"The trouble there is I was only able to find one oblique reference to a, a, a vampire who displeased the Master, our, uh, local vampire king, and cut his hand off in penance," he shook his head. "We really don't know that much."

"Vampire with claw hand," Faith raised her right hand. "Beheading," she repeated the gesture with her left.

"Faith," Giles said sternly, "I know you're upset, but, uh, this is no time to go hunting, not until we know more."

"Willow," the slayer turned to her friend, "Can you dig up all the murders in say a hundred miles that are beheadings or slasher victims that lost a lot of blood?"

"That will include L.A. so it might take awhile," the red head replied.

"The rest of us will go through the books looking for the same things," Faith grabbed a tome off the shelf.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles grumbled as he hunkered down in the driver's seat. Willow had excluded L.A. from her initial search to save time and found a trail of mutilated corpses from Cleveland to Sunnydale; one every three or four days all in parks or other wooded areas with sewer access. The watcher sat waiting for his slayer to finish her patrol of the park.

Faith strolled casually around the perimeter of Weatherly Park before following one of the trails to the middle. On one of the raised paths, she spotted a culvert that was covered by bushes. Faith continued down the path to a group of benches and a homeless man.

"Shouldn't be out here at night, little lady. Dangerous," he wandered away while Faith checked on a second man lying in front of a bench. Luckily he was merely asleep.

As she moved along the maintenance trail that led to the culvert Faith could hear the yap and howl of dogs in the distance. She pulled the shrubbery away.

The Claw leaped out at her. Faith rapidly backpedaled half a dozen steps. He slashed at her the whole way. Faith forced herself to swallow her rising panic. He was a vicious attacker and was looking to put her away early. Thankfully, for her, she could quickly discern a pattern to his aggression.

As his claw came at her again, she acted. Reflexes enhanced by the essence of the slayer, she moved in and brought her right arm up. His thick meaty forearm connected solidly with hers. His assault was halted, but Faith didn't stop. With her left hand, she clutched his bicep. She then wrapped her right about his arm at the wrist, and with a mighty jerk, twisted his arm back toward her, dislocating his elbow with a wet _snap_. The Claw snarled and growled in pain. She turned to the right and kept her hold, dragging his significant bulk over to slam unceremoniously on the ground, back first.

Faith celebrated under her breath as he toppled. She then fell to her back, his arm still clutched in her strong hands. She planted one foot on the side of his head, the other against his ribs and pulled with all her strength. The hard, loud _thock_ of his shoulder being torn from its socket rent the dry warm air. The Claw went from growling to screaming.

She released his bent and broken limb and snatched a stake from her belt and quickly leaned forward, plunging the long wooden weapon into his heart. He crumbled to dust with the howl of pain still upon his lips.

For a few seconds, she sat there breathing heavily. Slowly a smile crept across her lips. "That so needed a 'next time Gadget' joke," she said, to no one in particular.

"Hold it! Police!" a stern male voice shouted. A group of men with flashlights were making their way down the hill from the raised path. "Did you see that?"

"I've got nothing here," one of them answered.

Faith put her stake away and headed through the bushes.

"I heard it," another voice called.

"Spread out," the stern man ordered.

"Let's go over here," one of them started in her direction.

"This way, this way," someone else insisted.

"Alright…" the first one caved.

Faith jogged to the nearest edge of the park. A high fence separated it from the street beyond. The slayer spotted a woman walking alone and carrying a bag of groceries. Faith ducked behind a bush to keep from being seen. As the woman passed by Faith realized she was Ms. French. The slayer waited until the substitute turned up a driveway before leaping the fence. Still, the older woman must have heard the chain link rattle as she looked in Faith's direction. Ms. French's intense gaze raised the hair on the back of the slayer's neck. The stood there, eyes locked in the darkness until Faith heard the mob of officers approaching. She could have sworn that Ms. French smiled when she broke eye contact.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"You were there. You saw Dr. Gregory, didn't you?" Principal Flutie stopped Faith as she left English.

"Yeah, so?" Faith narrowed her eyes at him.

"You witnessed the event, so this way, please," Flutie guided her down the hall.

"I got biology," Faith pointed back at room 109.

"You have to see a counselor. Everyone who saw the body has to see a crisis counselor," Flutie explained. "We all need help with our feelings. Otherwise, we bottle them up, and before you know it, powerful laxatives are involved. I really believe if we all reach out to one another we can beat this thing. I'm always here if you need a hug," He took a step back, "but not a real hug! Because there's no touching, this school is sensitive to wrong touching."

"Can't it wait?"

"No, you have to talk to a counselor and start the healing. You have to heal."

"But, Bob…"

"Heal!" He intoned firmly. He directed Faith to a chair outside of the counselor's office and left. Faith frowned but stayed put.

"I don't know what to say," she overheard Cordelia. "It was really… I mean, one minute you're in your normal life, and then who's in the fridge? It really gets to you, a thing like that. It was… Let's just say I haven't been able to eat a thing since yesterday. I think I lost, like, seven and a half ounces? Way swifter than that so-called diet that quack put me on. Oh, I'm not saying that we should kill a teacher every day just so I can lose weight, I'm just saying when tragedy strikes; we have to look on the bright side. You know? Like, how even used Mercedes still have leather seats!"

Faith was both amused and disturbed by the cheerleader's ramblings. At least it was an excuse to leave.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Meanwhile, in biology, Xander felt he was doing well on the pop quiz. He was barely even distracted by the way Ms. French's cleavage was on full display; or how her skirt hugged her hips. He actually knew most of the material. Studying with Faith and Giles was paying off.

"Keep your eyes straight ahead on your own test," she called out as she paces the aisles. She walked up behind Xander. Leaning over do she just brushed against him she whispered, "I think you meant 'pollination' for number fourteen." Ms. French put her hand on his shoulder as she turned to move on and added, "I'll see you here after school."

Faith strolled up to the classroom door and peered inside. Seeing that they were taking a pop quiz she decided to wait. As Faith was moving away from the window she caught sight of Ms. French straightening up and turning her head around 180 degrees to see the door. Faith went to the library at a dead run.

"Don't you have class?"

"Bob, crisis counseling, Cordelia," Faith shuddered. "Bio, pop quiz, Ms. French turned her head around, full-on Exorcist twist action."

"What?"

"Ms. French rotated her head like a praying mantis," Faith calmed down enough to explain.

"Well, that's, that's," Giles stuttered. "Nothing human can do that."

"Figured that," Faith rolled her eyes. "Let's find out what can."

The double doors opened, Flutie walked in with an irritated expression.

Faith held her hands up defensively. "Cordelia was... I felt super uncomfortable eavesdropping, so I left. She shouldn't be judged for how she's dealing with this."

"Of course not," Principal Flutie agree. "So, it's your turn to talk to the counselor, come along."

Faith sighed.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Stupid counselor," Faith growled as she grabbed a milk carton. "Speaking of stupid, was Blayne in class?"

"No," Willow scrunched her nose at the greasy pepperoni 'pizza' and strange mix of yesterday's mac 'n' cheese and lasagna. "Salad bar for me."

"I like the pasta surprise," Xander shrugged.

"The fajitas are really good," Amy added.

"You put nacho cheese on them," Willow protested.

"I'm adding that to the pasta," Xander grinned. "Ooh! Garlic bread."

"Get fries, too," Faith nudged him. "So I can steal them."

The foursome paid for their lunches and found a table outside.

"I think Ms. French is our killer," Faith said as she grabbed a fry off Xander's tray and dipped it in his nacho sauce.

"Really?" Willow asked.

Faith nodded, "I don't think she's human."

"Uh-huh. So what is she then?" Xander asked.

"I don't know," Faith paused. "Giant bug demon?"

Xander chuckled, "You're jealous."

"What?" Faith furrowed her brow.

"I've met someone, and you're jealous," he clarified.

"Xander," Faith said in a warning tone.

"Look, there's nothing I can do about it. Uh, there's just this certain chemical thing between Ms. French and me," He smiled.

"Pheromones," Faith started to explain.

"She's not a bug! She's a woman, okay? And hard as that may be for you to conceive, an actual woman finds me attractive. I realize it's no mystery guy in a leather jacket, and while we're on the subject, what kind of a girlie name is 'Angel' anyway?" The boy ended in a ramble.

Faith grabbed Xander by the collar of his sweater. "Idiot!" She pulled him off the bench. She shoved him to the ground and straddled him in one smooth motion. "In order, not by how asinine they were, One; I saw her rotate her neck 180 degrees. Two; I'm attracted to you, why else would I keep groping you when Blayne's being a dick? Three; I am in no way shape of form turned on by Angel. He's a vampire, but he might, _might_ have a soul – Giles is looking into it on the side – and four; yes Angel _is_ a girl's name, and I've made fun of him for it." She punched the ground next to his head.

Xander flinched.

"If you want to bang her that's fine, I just want you to be safe. Get a stake or something from Giles, and let us know if she changes venue, okay?"

The teen nodded.

"Willow, if you've got time I need to know if Blayne is missing or just out sick," Faith stood up. Sighing she grabbed her lunch and headed inside.

Willow finished her salad in silence while Amy picked at her cheese fajitas. Xander dusted himself off and went back to his pasta.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Later, armed with a sizable pocket knife, Xander was having mixed feelings about his meeting with Ms. French. "Hi," he greeted her calmly as he entered the classroom. He still didn't buy the whole demon-bug thing.

"Oh, Hi! I was just grabbing a snack. Can I fix you something?" She smiled brightly at him.

"No thanks, I had a... filling lunch," Xander glanced around for a way to change the subject. "Wow, if this were real the bugs would be..."

"...as big as you!" Ms. French finished for him.

"Yeah. So! Where do we start?" He tried to regain his enthusiasm.

"Oh, Xander!" Ms. French got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've done something really stupid. I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh, forgiveness is my middle name! Well, actually it's Lavelle," the teen babbled. "And I'd appreciate it if you guard that secret with your life." He chuckled.

Ms. French laughed as well. "I have a teacher's conference in half an hour, and I left the paint and papier-mâché at home," she explained. "I don't suppose you'd like to come to my place tonight to work on it there?"

"Come to, uh..." Xander swallowed, "your place?" For a moment he saw his guitar solo fantasy with Ms. French staring up at him.

"7:30?" She said bringing him back to reality. "Here's my address. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah!" Xander's fingers brushed hers as he took the note. He left the classroom elated. "Ooh, yes!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"If you're right," Giles was cleaning his glasses as the girls went through books, or in Willow's case the PC, "then she'd have to be a shapeshifter or a perception distorter. On a helpful note, I had a chum at Oxford, Carlyle, advanced degrees in entomology and mythology."

"Bugs and fairy tales?" Faith looked up at him. "That is a bizarre combination."

"If I recall correctly, poor old Carlyle, just before he went mad, claimed there was some beast..." Giles was interrupted.

"911! Blayne's mom called the school. He never came home last night!"

"The boy who worked with Miss French yesterday?" Giles asked.

"Yeah! If Miss French is responsible for... Xander's supposed to be helping her right now!" Willow started to panic.

"Easy, Wills," Amy soothed. "Xander'll be fine. Faith can go check on him if you like."

Willow nodded and Faith headed for the door.

"Now, you need to get the coroner's report on Dr. Gregory," Amy distracted her friend.

"Right," Willow turned back to the PC.

Giles started towards his office but stopped to ask, "Um, this computer invasion that Willow's performing on the coroner's office, one, one assumes it is entirely legal?"

"Entirely!" Willow replied without looking up, her face flushed.

"Of course!" Amy said at the same time, her gaze locked with his.

"Right. Wasn't here, didn't see it, couldn't have stopped you," Giles continued to his office.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Hey," Xander called out as he approached the library.

"Hey, back," Faith returned. "So, how'd it go with Ms. French?"

"She wants me to go to her place tonight," he handed Faith the address.

"Blayne's missing," Faith grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the library. "We need to pick up some things for Xander's date," she announced.

"Frankly, madam, I haven't the faintest idea what time it is, nor do I care. Now, unlock his cell, unstrap him, and bring him to the telephone immediately. This is a matter of life and death!" Giles shouted in his office.

"Got it! Coroner's report, complete with... Yuk! ...color pictures," Willow looked up from the computer. "Xander!" She rushed over and threw her arms around him.

"There are teeth marks," Amy remarked as Faith joined her in studying the report.

"Which match perfectly the one insect that nips off its prey's head," Faith added.

"Okay, I-I don't like this," Willow dragged the boy over to the group.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Willow," Xander tried to pry off her death grip hug.

Giles came out of his office pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dr. Ferris Carlyle spent years transcribing a lost pre-Germanic language. What he discovered he kept to himself until several teenage boys were murdered in the Cotswolds. Then he went hunting for it."

"It?" Faith asked.

"Uh, he calls her a She-Mantis," Giles went on, "This type of creature, the Kleptes-Virgo, or, or virgin-thief, appears in, in many cultures. The Greek sirens, the Celtic sea maidens, who, who tore the living flesh from the bones of, um…"

"Giles, while we're young," Amy prompted dryly.

"Uh, well, basically the, uh, the She-Mantis assumes the form of a beautiful woman and then lures innocent virgins back to her nest.

"Battle plan?" Faith began pacing.

"Uh, Carlyle recommends cleaving all body parts with a sharp blade," the watcher's voice was hard now, with a slight edge of command.

"Slice and Dice is good, axes all around?" The slayer offered.

Giles nodded, "Whatever we do it, it had better be certain and swift. This beast is extremely dangerous."

"Well, your buddy Carlyle faced it, and he's still around," Xander quipped, finally freeing himself from Willow.

"Yes, in a straitjacket, howling his innards out day and night," Giles snapped.

"Okay, Admiral, way to inspire the troops," Amy hefted an ax and shook her head. She put it back and grabbed a machete instead. Willow did the same.

"Sorry, I just need you lot to take this seriously," he explained.

"We do, Giles, really," Xander placated the older man. "I didn't mean to make light of the situation."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

At seven-thirty on the dot, Xander rang the doorbell of the blue, single story bungalow. His palms were sweaty and his heart raced but he forced himself to breathe evenly. Ms. French answered promptly, wearing a slinky black cocktail dress that really brought out her cleavage.

"Hi! Come on in!" She ran her hand down the teen's arm. Xander couldn't help but stare at the bounty before him. "Should I change? Is-is this too..."

"No, no, it's, the most beautiful chest, dress I've ever seen," he stuttered.

Ms. French smiled as she closed the door behind him. The living room was dim and there was soft music playing. "Thank you. That's sweet. Martini?"

Xander stared at the glass in disbelief.

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like something else?" She asked teasingly.

He took the glass firmly but hesitated to drink.

"I just need to relax a little, I'm kinda nervous around you," she led him to the sofa. "You're probably cool as a cucumber!"

Xander sat down next to her, "I like cucumbers. Like in that Greek salad thing with the yogurt. Do you like Greek food? I'm exempting Schwarma, of course, I mean, what's that all about? It's a big meat hive." He laughed nervously.

She laughed playfully and stroked his arm.

Xander took a drink of his martini, "Hhhhhhho! Hello!" The alcohol burned his throat, not like the sip of whiskey his dad gave him when he was twelve, but it startled him how strong the drink was.

"Cheers!" Ms. French tapped her glass against his. "Can I ask you a personal question?" She set her glass down and scooted closer to him. "Have you ever been with a woman before?"

"You mean, like, in, uh, the same room?" He stalled trying to clear his suddenly foggy head.

"You know what I mean," she all but purred.

"Oh, that, uh... Well, let me think. Um..." He stuttered as she ran her fingers through his hair and around his ear. "Yeah, there was, uh... Several!" He tried lying. She stroked down the side of his face to his chin. "I mean, and, uh, quite a few times... And then there was, uh... Oh, she was incredibly..." He finally gave up, "No. Uh-uh."

"I know. I can tell," she rested her hand on his knee.

"You can?" He asked a little dismayed.

"Oh, I like it. You might say, I... _Need_ it," Ms. French leaned towards Xander.

"Oh! Well, needs should, uh, ya know..." He slid his hand into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out the corner of a condom wrapper was sticking out of his pocket. "Needs should definitely be met, as long as it doesn't require ointments the next day, or..." He paused when he thought he heard yelling. "Did you hear…"

"No..." She interrupted him, only to be interrupted in turn.

"Sounds like someone crying..."

"I don't hear anything," she said firmly. Ms. French took his hand in hers, "Your hands are so hot!"

Xander flashed to his dream, "Oh, you hurt your hand!" His head swam. He leaned back on the couch. "Faith! I love Faith. Wow! So that's a martini, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," she leaned in next to him.

Xander sat up abruptly, "Do you hear..."

Ms. French interrupted him again, "Would you like to touch me with those hands?"

Xander's vision blurred as he looked at Ms. French's hands, "Your hands are sss... Really..." His vision cleared as her hands morphed into mantis claws, "serrated!" He dug into his other pocket and pulled out an aerosol spray can. He managed to aim and spray Ms. French.

She shrieked and struck him with both claws.

Xander fell to the floor unconscious.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles and the girls sat in the Citroen down the block. They had watched Xander ring the bell and practically be dragged inside. They stared at the walkie-talkie resting on the dashboard.

Willow broke the silence, "I hope she doesn't eat his head. I like his head. It's where you find his eyes, and his hair, and his adorable smile."

"Are you crushing on Xan, Red?"

"No! We're, we're just friends. I'm concerned for my friend," the nerdy girl blushed.

"It's okay," Faith smiled at her. "I get it."

"I could never compete with you anyway," Willow muttered.

"I wouldn't make you," Faith reassured her. "If you want to take a whack at him, go ahead."

"I, I couldn't…" Willow was cut off by the walkie.

"Needs should definitely be met, as long as it doesn't require ointments the next day, or..." Xander's voice came through.

Faith cocked her head and at the same time as Xander asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Sounds like someone crying," Xander said

"I don't hear anything," Ms. French's voice responded.

"I'm going in," Faith said over the top of what the substitute said next.

"Wait for the signal," Giles insisted.

"Faith!" Xander shouted. "I love Faith. Wow! So that's a martini, huh?"

The slayer exited the car and dashed down the block. The others quickly followed suit. Faith kicked the door open in time to hear the horrifying shriek of the She-Mantis and the hard thump of Xander hitting the floor.

The slayer rushed in, distracting the She-Mantis while the others went straight to Xander. Giles covered the girls as they dragged the unconscious teen out of the fray.

The she-mantis lashed out in a lightning fast sweep tripping Giles. Faith jumped over the blow. She swung her ax at the demon fiercely, scoring a few glancing blows. Giles stood bringing the bug spray to bear. The she-mantis shrieked again.

From behind them Faith and Giles heard chanting, "Non dissoluatur meum praedam." Amy and Willow reentered the house holding hands. Amy directed four points of white light at the she-mantis. When its movements slowed the Watcher and Slayer went in for the kill, hacking at its limbs and neck.

When the pair stopped, they were both breathing heavily. "Well, I... I'd say it's deceased," Giles gasped out.

"And dissected," Willow added, scrunching her nose.

"You okay?" Amy looked over a few scrapes and bruises on Faith.

"Yeah," she nodded.

Moaning lead the group to the door. Xander blinked up at them, "Just for the record, you were right, I'm an idiot, and God bless you! And thank you guys, too."

"A pleasure," Giles held out a hand to haul the boy to his feet. "We must find any eggs she may have laid."

Faith and Xander descended into the basement while Amy, Willow, and Giles searched the rest of the house.

"Ah! Blayne! In a cage," Xander spotted half way down the stairs.

"Oh, God! Oh, God!" He wailed.

"You all right?" Faith asked as she approached the cage.

"Oh, God!" Blayne took a deep breath. "You gotta get me outta here! You gotta!"

"You know," Faith purred as she pretended to fiddle with the lock, "It's so unfair how she only went after virgins. I mean, here you are, doing the right thing, the smart thing, when a lot of other boys your age…"

"Flag down on that play, babe. I am not..." Blayne interrupted.

Faith ignored him, "that's the She-Mantis' M. O. She only preys on the 'pure'."

"My dad's a lawyer," Blayne shouted. "Anyone repeats this to anybody, they're gonna find themselves facing a lawsuit."

"I can't seem to get this lock open," Faith shrugged. "Oh well. Good luck explaining this to daddy. Hey, there they are. Have at," Faith handed her ax to Xander and pointed him towards the egg sac.

Xander was both meticulous and messy in his destruction of the eggs. When his arms tired out Faith wiped greenish yoke off his face, "Red really likes you. You two should go on a few dates. See if it takes."

"I thought you liked me," Xander said puzzled.

"You're a likable guy."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

A few days later Faith sat in biology listening to the new permanent instructor, "All midterm papers will be exactly six pages long. No more, no less. One-third of your grade will be dependent on those papers. No more, no less."

The bell sounded and the students were off. On her way out Faith spotted Dr. Gregory's glasses, still sitting on the lab bench where she'd left them. She saw Dr. Gregory's jacket still hanging on the hook on the closet door. With a sad smile, she slid the glasses into a pocket.

Unseen by the slayer a cluster of She-Mantis eggs was attached underneath a lower shelf. One of the eggs began hatching.


	4. Chapter 4: The Anointed One

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

4\. The Anointed One

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"I." Slash. "Am." Stomp. "So." Crunch. "Done." Smash. "With." Thwack. "Bugs!" Splatter!

Faith had to agree with Xander on that one. The baby demon mantises were swarming the biology classroom. Giles, Willow, and the new teacher stood protecting Amy so she could keep up the lure spell they'd modified for the mantises. They couldn't risk any of them getting away. Nearly two hundred of the six inch long white-green mantises had hatched in the school. Finally, the tide of insects slowed. Soon all that remained of the mantis threat was sticky goo mixed with carapace chunks.

"I am not cleaning that up," Amy panted.

The group broke down laughing.

When they finally stopped Mr. Verona asked, "Is there anything I can do to thank you all?"

"Not at all," Giles patted the chubby man on the arm.

"Actually," Xander piped up, "I wouldn't mind not having to do the midterm."

"Xander!" Willow gasped.

"Done! Done with bugs! Do you hear?!" the teen shot back. "Bring on the vampires, bring on the demons. I am done with bugs!"

"Xan, Ms. French wanted to mate with you and then eat you. Vampires and demons just want to eat you," Faith smirked.

"I do not find that comforting!" Xander shouted.

"Breathe," Willow rubbed his back.

"Breathe," he repeated. He took a deep breath and turned to the teacher, "Look Doc, I'm not asking for an A or anything. Something in the C range would be great. I think I can scrape enough mantis goo off my boots to warrant that at least."

Giles gave a small groan and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Later that night, Faith dodged a wild haymaker thrown by a newly risen vamp. She grabbed the vampire's arm and brought his elbow back against her forearm. Her efforts were rewarded with the slick pop of a dislocated joint. The vampire howled in pain. Faith capitalized on his distraction and stepped behind him, planting a boot on the back of his knee. As he went down she wrapped her arm around his head and, with his chin resting in the crook of her elbow, Faith wrenched his head backward. The sound his neck made as she broke it reminded her of wet celery snapping. Faith plunged her stake into his heart, "Another one bites the dust. Another one gone, another one gone. Another one bites the dust. Hey, I'm gonna get you too."

Giles stepped out from behind a crypt. Faith pulled her earbuds out as he was speaking, "…technique is improving. Prioritizing, sub-par. The execution was adequate, if a little gruesome."

"Don't grade my workout," Faith said with a frowned.

"W, workout?" the watcher echoed.

"Yeah, I can toss you and Xan around all day. If I wanna get my sweat on I need a more durable dance partner." At his disgruntled look, she added, "I need you to teach me the moves. I need the newbie vamps to practice on. If I gave you or Xander everything I've got, you'd spend the rest of your life drinking your meals through a straw."

"I see your point," Giles conceded. "However, your prioritization still needs work, even if you are using them as a sparring partner. Perhaps more so, considering."

Faith rolled her eyes, "You'll never get it, G. The idea was…" Faith stopped and bent over to examine the spot where her vampire had disintegrated. "What's this?"

Giles knelt, and lifted the object with his pen.

"Usually they don't leave, uh, stuff," Faith looked at the ring.

"I thought this was just a random vampire, but it may be something else," Giles murmured distractedly.

"The Order again, or something big?" the slayer asked.

"Not sure, I'll need to consult my books," the watcher replied.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The next day found Giles flipping through his tomes. "You were right," He said to Faith, who looked up from her own book. The slayer was finishing her math homework. "The Order of Aurelius' mark is on the inside," he paused to show her the crude carving of a sun and three stars. "The symbol on the ring is, is the rune for fidelity. It is usual worn by neophytes."

"Neophytes?"

"New converts to the Order," the librarian clarified.

Before Giles could continue the double doors swung open. A tall boy with soft, dark eyes and a cleft chin walked in. His hair was short with frosted tips and he wore a charcoal gray t-shirt under a loose, v-necked, black sweater. The look confused Faith. He was built like an athlete – most likely basketball – but he dressed like a drama geek.

"Can I help you?" Giles asked, setting the tome on the table. It had been weeks since anyone other than Faith and her friends had come into the library.

"I lost my Emily. Dickinson. It's dumb, but I like her around," the boy half babbled. "Kind of a security blanket."

"Poetry is through the doors on the right," Faith pointed over her shoulder.

The boy nodded and headed into the stacks.

Giles pouted, "You didn't have to steal my thunder."

"Your thunder?" Faith asked amused. "He was asking for a book."

"Yes, exactly," Giles continued to pout.

"This is a school library. Students check out books," Faith said as she shrugged.

"I was beginning to suspect that was a myth," the librarian muttered.

The boy returned with his book, "I didn't think I'd find you here."

"Oh?" Faith barely glanced up at him. "Why not?"

"I, I didn't mean... I mean... I think you can read," he tripped over his own tongue. The teen hovered at the edge of the table like he wanted to sit down.

Faith grimaced, it was a cute act on some guys but stuttering nerd did not look good on this one. "Good…"

He rambled on, "But you don't seem book-wormy. The type of person to lock themselves in a dark room with a lotta musty old books."

Faith's grimace became a frown. Xander was dorky as well but it felt more natural on him. On this guy, it seemed more affected; like he was imitating a cross between Xander and Willow.

"Oh, and I've offended you," he stopped rambling.

"Plenty of light in here," she pointed at the skylight. "Though I am a little surprised you gave any thought to what I'm like."

"You shouldn't be," he replied warmly. "What's this?" he leaned over to read the thick book's spine.

"Homework," Faith said dryly.

Giles picked the book up, "This one is reference only." He took the teen's poetry book to the checkout station. "Emily Dickinson," the librarian sighed. "She's quite a good poet, I mean for a..."

"Girl?" Faith piped up.

"For an American," Giles grinned at her. He scanned the book.

"I'll, uh, see you in math," the boy called to Faith as he left. "If I open my eyes at some point."

"He seemed nice," Giles said as he made his way back to the study table.

"I have no idea who he is," Faith replied.

Giles returned to his book.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Owen Thurman," Willow supplied when Faith pointed the boy out in the cafeteria. "He hardly talks to anyone. He's solitary, mysterious... He can brood for forty minutes straight, I've clocked him."

"Feels fake," Faith told her.

"What did you guys have to talk about?" Willow pressed.

"I told him where the poetry section is. He's into Emily Dickinson," the slayer shrugged.

"He's sensitive, yet manly!" at Faith's confused look she asked, "You've never read her?"

Faith shook her head as they sat down with Xander and Amy.

"Has anybody given any thought to what this green stuff is?" Xander asked.

"I'm avoiding the subject," Amy poked it with her spork.

"The Soylent Green?" Faith asked. "It's people."

Amy let her plastic utensil drop, "Maybe I'll start bringing my own lunches too."

"It's kale," Willow patted her arm.

"How'd the sla… Ow!" Xander rubbed his shin where the slayer had kicked it. "How'd work go last night?"

"Fine, the Order is recruiting. Maybe something up," Faith stole a bite of the boy's kale. "Tastes like Brussel sprouts and asparagus had a baby."

"They should have sautéed it with butter and garlic," Willow commented.

"Nah covers up the flavor. It's pretty mild as is," Faith told her. Amy scooped her portion onto the lid of the slayer's sandwich Tupperware. "At least compared to mustard greens."

"Hey," Owen had come over to their table, Cordelia trailing behind him. "A bunch of us are loitering at the Bronze tonight. You there?"

"Yeah, I'll be there from four 'til nine picking up after you lot and complaining about how high school kids never tip with my coworkers," Faith grinned at how uncomfortable he looked all of a sudden.

"I'll go with you," Cordelia offered.

"Yes go, take Cordelia, go far away and take Cordelia with you," Faith turned back to her lunch.

"You don't have to be a bitch about it," the cheerleader snapped.

"No, I don't, but think about this: You're a bitch – let me finish," she said over the top of Cordelia's rebuttal. "No, you are queen bitch in charge. You don't have to be. You want to. You choose to. You're vice-captain of the cheerleads in your sophomore year, top of the social ladder. You've got seniors chomping at the bit to get into your panties. You work hard to be a bitch, the bitch," Faith smiled. "It's the same way for me: I don't have to be a bitch, I choose to be a bitch. But so we're clear, I'm not after your QBC throne. I'm an outsider rebel bitch."

Cordelia gaped for a second before gathering her wits and stomping off.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"It's not a big deal," the slayer muttered as she dumped her trash.

"It's a very big deal!" Willow insisted.

"It's not!" Faith said sing-song. As the approached the library Giles joined the group.

"It is," the red head argued. She gestured to the older man, "Tell her!"

"I'm afraid it's very big," the Watcher said gravely.

Willow smiled at Faith "Thank you!" She turned back to Giles, "Wait, what?" the teens followed him into the library. "What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Boys!" the teens chorused. Willow added, "I still can't believe you blew him off like that."

"Yes, well, I'm talking about trouble. A violent and disturbing prophecy is about to be fulfilled," Giles said sternly.

"The Order of Aurelius," Faith asked, happy for a change in subject.

"I've looked at the writings of Aurelius himself, and he, he prophesied that the brethren of his order would come to the Master and bring him the Anointed," the Watcher told them.

"Who's that?" Willow asked.

"Well, I-I don't know exactly, a-a-a-a warrior, but, but it says he will rise from the ashes of the five on the evening of the thousandth day after the Advent of Septus."

"Well, we'll be ready whenever it is," Xander declared.

"Which is tonight," Giles said.

"Tonight, okay," Faith nodded. "Pick me up after work."

"Faith, I think this is a little more important than …"

She cut him off, saying, "I want, no, I need my own money. You can't buy everything for me."

"This is no ordinary vampire," he tried.

"Vibrator ," Faith crossed her arms.

"What?" Giles gaped at her.

"You heard me. Pick me up at nine or you get to make that purchase," Faith used her trump card. Beside her, Willow had turned bright red. Amy looked bemused and Xander looked as shocked as Giles.

"But we have to stop him before he reaches the Master," the Watcher pleaded. "The dark forces are aligning against us, and we have a chance to beat them back. Tonight we go into battle!"

"After work," the slayer put her foot down, "Unless…"

"Ni-nine will suffice."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander had priced everything in advance. A large chicken parmesan pizza and two sodas at Napoli were twenty-five bucks and two tickets to the movies was as near as makes no difference another twenty. That would leave him fifteen dollars for snacks and popcorn.

He arrived at Willow's house promptly at seven. Willow answered the door. Xander immediately felt underdressed in his second-hand button up and slacks. She was wearing a red satin top and a knee length black skirt.

"Wow, Willow," Xander gasped. "You look, you look great."

"You clean up pretty respectably yourself," she shut the door behind her. "I've always liked that shirt. So, where to first?"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith was not having a good day at work.

"Oops," Barbie doll said as she spilled her third soda. "Oh, busboy! Er, girl?"

Owen had shown up with Cordelia and the Cordettes. "Sorry," he apologized as Faith came over once again. "Knock it off, Harmony."

"It's fine," Faith said, "Getcha 'nother diet coke, Barbie?"

"Please, and less ice this time," the blonde smiled at her.

Faith mopped up the spill with a rag and went to the bar. "Refill for table eight."

"Diet right?" Tony asked.

"Nah, regular with a Sweet'N Low dumped in," the teen replied acerbically.

"Faith," the foppish bartender chided her laughingly.

"You pour 'em, I just do deliveries," she grinned.

"Thanks for covering for Lynette, by the way," Tony grinned back. "Tell you what, if you can keep from pissing off the blonde I'll split the tips with you."

"Oh, it ain't Barbie I've got issues with. It's the drama geek," she sighed. "He's got a thing for me, but I think he's so phony. Like, he acts like a dork around me, but he has this rep as mysterious." Before Tony could reply Faith felt the tingle of vampires in the back of her neck. "I'll drop this off then I gotta play bouncer."

He nodded. He didn't know why or how – truthfully he didn't care to – but he was grateful that the teen could take care of the fanged set. Tony smiled, "Go get 'em, tiger."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles sat on the headstone next to Amy as the young witch practiced launching stakes with her magic. "Where did you learn, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Self-taught. Grandma left mom the house. It was full of weird books, dried herbs and the like. Mom got rid of most of it, but what she kept went into the attic. I'd sneak up there and read by candle light. Did my first real spell when I was eleven," Amy smiled as the stake hit the center of her makeshift target.

"It's very dangerous you know," his tone was serious.

"I can handle it," she brought the stakes back in a neat little line. "I never summon things; that was the first rule in grandma's grimoire. The second was to never make promises. Ever."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The atmosphere at Napoli was warm and inviting. Everyone was friendly. The food was excellent, even the soda was phenomenal. From their booth, they could see into the open kitchen. The pair enjoyed watching the pizza dough being toss in the air.

After their food arrived the two sat in silence. Until Xander noticed that Willow was fidgeting with her straw wrapper.

 _Quick brain, think of something to say!_ He thought. _That's not working. Okay, mouth, just say something. Anything!_ "If you could live forever as a soda can, what flavor would you be?" _I am dumb. Stupid question!_

Willow stared at him blankly for a moment, "Diet Sunkist. You?"

"I'd like to think I'd be Dr. Pepper, but I'd probably end up as Mr. Pibb" They fell back into silence. "The pizza is really good," Xander tried again.

"Mm-hm, I love that they brush the crust with garlic butter," Willow agreed.

"Me too." They fell back into silence.

"So, the weather should be nice this weekend," Willow said after awhile.

"Yeah, I have to mow the lawn on Saturday," Xander griped. "What are your plans?"

"Amy's going to teach me how to make a scapular of protection," Willow smiled brightly.

"That's cool. Are shoulder blades generally better for protection than other bones?" the boy asked, hoping that this topic would last.

"Scapular, not Scapula," Willow giggled, "It's like a tiny bag. They're usually made out of wool. It's very low-key magic. But it could help us when things get… buggy."

Xander scrunched his nose at her. He was still a little sensitive about the topic of bugs. "So," he said.

"So," she repeated. Willow brightened, "Sew. As in sewing. Most of the work will just be sewing, not magic."

"Still, they sound useful," Xander encouraged.

"Yeah." They fell back into silence. "So, how's your training with Giles going?"

"Good," the teen nodded. "He has me jogging every morning and strength training three times a week. It's exhausting, but it should pay off in the long run."

"That's good," she hesitated, then lapsed into a proper silence.

The bell over the door chimed as it swung open. There was a moment before he saw who it was that Xander wished for a vampire. Alas, it was only Larry Blaisdell and his family. They sat on the opposite side of the restaurant.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith grinned as she tossed the gangly, wet dog and patchouli smelling vampire into the dumpster out back. He came back at her with his game face on. As he lunged at her, Faith shoulder rolled to the side and came to her feet behind him. The vampire rolled onto his back and attempted to kip-up. A black work boot met his face at the half way point. He slammed back onto the pavement with a groan. Faith slammed a stake into his chest.

The slayer stood and dusted herself off. She spotted Owen, Cordelia and the Cordettes crowded into the doorway. "Just takin' out the trash, girls, nothin' to see here," she smiled as she brushed passed them. "You need another refill, Barbie?"

The blonde shook her head mutely.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Goths," Amy sighed. "They're in my English class, so unless they got turned in the last six hours, not vampires."

"Damn," Giles spat. He leaned back against the headstone.

The trio of students sat at the foot of a grave. One of them laid out an Ouija board while the other two lit candles.

"They are not…" Giles started over to them.

"How cliché," Amy followed him.

"Do we call the corners?" the boy asked

"No, you just move the pointer in a figure-eight," she replied.

"You are not seriously…" Giles broke off mid-sentence as the two girls screamed. He looked over his shoulder to check for vampires. There were none.

Amy laughed. "Oh, my god. Tweed, you scared the crap out of them. That's hysterical."

"Hey, shut up!" the taller girl snapped.

"You cannot do spirit calling in a graveyard!" Giles snapped.

The boy tisked, "Not like it will work, Steph got the board at Toys R Us."

"It wouldn't matter if she wrote it out on a bloody napkin! The power is not in the board. It comes from the users," Giles lectured.

"Do you guys even know the rules?" Amy asked.

"Sure," the second girl began ticking them off on her fingers, "You never play alone. Never use the ouija board in your home. Always be serious. And always say goodbye at the end of each session."

"Never play in a graveyard. Balance the board upon your knees if possible, preferably between two people of opposite gender. Be specific about who you wish to communicate with. Be cordial to your spirit guests, although it is acceptable to ask them to leave if they are rude. Do not confuse the spirit with questions from too many people; assign one person in the room to ask questions. Do not allow the spirit to control the session. Do not accept all communications as fact, spirits and demons lie just as the living do," the watcher warned. "Everyone present must touch the planchette. And it's a good idea to use a protective circle around the group."

"Planchette?" the three teens asked.

"The pointer," Amy offered. "If you can get a hold of a real silver coin it helps ward off evil spirits if you put it on the center of the board.

"Wow," the boy said. "You two sure know a lot about this."

Amy shrugged, "My grandma was a witch. Tweed here is a librarian so he just knows a lot about a lot."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander was happy that dinner was over. It was time for the movie. A movie meant no talking; so there would be no awkward conversations and no awkward lack of conversations. Xander waited while Willow chose the movie. There was no wrong answer here, as far as he was concerned. No big epics, but also no weepy dramas.

"I don't know that any of these are worth seeing in the theater," Willow pursed her lips. "A kids' movie, a rom-com, a cheap jump scare movie, a parody movie and a sci-fi flick that promises to be pretentious and heavy handed. None of them are epic."

"They're showing Pygmalion at the community theater," a college-age girl offered.

"Ooh!" Willow squeaked. She turned to Xander, "Can we?"

"Yeah, of course," he smiled. "It's about the same as a movie ticket right?" he asked the helpful girl.

"No, they're about twenty each," she replied. "I saw Caesar and Cleopatra there last month it was incredible."

Xander blanched. Willow grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the college girl. "It's okay, we can watch the rom-com, I guess."

"I'm five short if we don't need snacks or drinks," Xander offered.

"I didn't bring any," Willow dropped her eyes.

"Maybe, we'll do it next time," he reassured her. "Two for…"

"The double feature?" the girl behind the glass asked. "It's a promotion for the new Godzilla flick. You get to see that one and Final Wars, I think. Starts in ten, so you'll have to be quick at the concession stand."

Xander looked at Willow. The red head had a bright smile on her face. "Yeah," Xander grinned as well. The double feature tickets cut into the snack budget, but it was worth it.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith exited the Bronze at nine oh five. Giles and Amy were waiting for her in the Citroen. "So, any news on the anointed front?"

"Nah," Amy yawned. "We did break up a séance."

"It was three teens with an Ouija board," Giles complained. "That hardly counts." He drove back to the graveyard. He and Amy set up in their same spot as Faith roamed around. After a few hours, Giles said, "Perhaps I miscalculated."

"Yep," Amy smiled at him. "Good to know you can admit when you're wrong."

"Well, you know what they say. Ninety percent of the vampire slaying game is, is waiting," he defended.

"Or you could just check for fresh graves," Faith came up behind them.

The pair jumped. "Don't do that," Amy gasped.

"Well, we, we've certainly been here long enough," Giles groused.

"You're just mad 'cuz you didn't think to check for fresh graves," Faith grinned.

"I was sure it was tonight," the watcher sighed.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander walked Willow home after the movies. They talked about how cool Godzilla looked in the new one and how awesome he was in Final Wars. The boy was glad the awkwardness was over. The pair arrived at Willow's doorstep. Xander leaned in for the kiss. Their lips connected. Both teens burst out laughing. Willow gave an adorable little snort.

"Sorry," Xander apologized.

"It's okay," Willow grinned at him. "I feel the same way."

"A bit like kissing your sister?" he asked.

Willow nodded, "Exactly."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"It wasn't bad," Willow explained to the other girls the next day. Willow and Amy swapped books out of their lockers; Faith carried all of hers in her bag. "He was a perfect date. Kind, considerate, well mannered; Like the Stepford version of Xander. He even kissed me goodnight. It was…"

"Sparkless?" Amy offered.

Willow nodded, "I know he's cute, and charming in a dorky way – I even like a bit of dorky in my guy – but he's just so … Xander."

"Hey," Owen called out as he approached the group. "The way you handled that guy last night was awesome!"

"No sweat," Faith grinned at him. "Most guys are easy."

"How 'bout we go on a date tonight?" Owen asked. "If you're free?"

"Can't," Faith shrugged, "Got work."

"Tomorrow?"

"Study group," the slayer lied. "Besides, you and Cordelia were all over each other last night."

"I danced with her a couple of times," he said defensively. "She's kinda grabby."

"I can get pretty handsy myself," Faith pointed out.

"I'm free all week," he offered.

"Look," Faith turned toward him. "I tried letting you down easy, but I'm just not into you." Before he could say anything else, she turned and walked away. A few minutes later, Faith barged into the library. "How's it going," she asked as she sat across from Giles at the study table.

"Uh, alright," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Slowly. Prophecy is obscure and there are a few interpretations."

"So tonight's looking slow, right?" the slayer grinned.

He nodded.

"Good, I'm shadowing Paul tonight," She bounced out of the library with a smile on her face.

"She is the strangest girl."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Faith?" Giles called up the stairs.

"Finished my homework!" the slayer called down.

"We need to talk," the watcher continued, "My calculations may not have been as far off as I thought.

"What? No! Bouncer training!" Faith whined as she stomped down the stairs.

He held up a newspaper.

"Five Die in Van Accident," she read the headline.

"Out of the ashes of five shall rise the one," the watcher recited.

"In a car crash," Faith pointed out. "Hardly a prophecy type death."

"I know it doesn't quite follow, but, but it's worth investigating. Look! Among the dead was Andrew Borba, whom the police sought for questioning in a double murder. Now, he may be the Anointed One. The, the bodies have been taken to, to Sunnydale Funeral Home, w-we can…" Giles said in a rush.

"If we hurry, I don't want to be late for work," Faith grabbed her jacket. "Shift starts at seven."

Giles opened the door to find Xander poised to ring the bell. Willow stood next to him with a casserole and Amy behind them with a potted plant.

"Is something going on?" Willow asked.

"Oh, uh, probably not. I, uh, I, we were just, uh, going to the funeral home in case, just see if anything comes up."

"We could pop the casserole in the fridge and come with," Willow suggested.

"Sure," Faith nodded. "The more the merrier."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

As Giles got out of the Citroen he slung a bag over his shoulder. Faith pulled out a stake and pulled Willow behind her. The group went on alert, peering into the darkness for vampires. A dark figure stood between them and the funeral home.

"There's another one behind us," Faith whispered.

Giles spun bringing his crossbow to bear. "Damn!" he growled as the undead form ducked into the bushes.

Faith ran straight into the other vampire, tackling him to the ground. Gripping his shirt collar tightly the slayer unleashed a vicious salvo of blows on his skull. When he went limp she pushed her stake into his heart. Faith stood and headed over to Giles.

With a cross in one hand and a stake in the other Xander led Amy and Willow to the door. The witch tried the door and, finding it locked whispered, "Recludo! Abrir cerradura! Nihil obsaepiunt iter!" The lock popped. A bit of steam wafted off the frame. She pushed the door open.

"Wicked," Xander complimented her as the trio scooted inside. "Should we wait or start searching?"

"We wait," Willow answered. "Saves them having to look for us."

"Besides this place isn't that big; It won't take long," Amy added.

Giles reloaded his crossbow as Faith arrived to cover him. "I can't see well enough to hit him in the bushes," the watcher grumbled.

"I can," Faith took the crossbow. She rested the stock against her shoulder. She exhaled slowly as she squeezed the trigger. A soft thrum from the bow string was followed by a grunt and a shower of ash on the ground. "Let's go."

Inside and regrouped they found the door to the morgue unlocked. Faith started pulling the body drawers open. "Ewww, parts!"

"Keep looking, he must be here somewhere," Giles joined her.

The others did the same. Most of the draws were empty. Soon they had checked them all.

"Nothing," Xander sighed.

"The Anointed must be gone," Giles frowned.

"I guess. I mean, this is where they keep all the dead bodies, right?" Amy asked.

"Mm-hmm," Willow nodded. "But we could check the computer to see if anyone was cremated today."

"Yeah, maybe this Borba guy is already ashes!" Xander piped up.

Faith and Giles shared a meaningful look, "Out of the ashes of five shall rise the one."

The search for the office was frantic but short; Willow found it, "Over here, guys."

Faith broke the lock. When she opened the door the back of her neck tingled, "More of them."

Inside the office were a desk, computer and large heavy curtain. Faith ripped the curtain down. Behind the window it revealed was a body covered with a sheet. The body's hand moved, just a twitch, easily a trick of the eye. Again the hand moved. Then the hand reached up and pulled the sheet off.

Andrew Borba sat up and stared at them. His eyes were yellow and feral. His face was warped into a vampiric scowl. His teeth were all pointy and bared. He stood up, examined himself. He was broad with reaper and an angel tattooed on his chest. He flexed his hands. "I have been judged!" he shouted. Borba approached the window. Faith backed away, content to let the Anointed one come to her. He slammed his forehead into the glass, shattering it. "He is risen in me! He fills my head with song!" the madman laughed. He rested a hand on the frame and swung a leg over, unmindful of the broken glass.

Faith stepped forward and booted him in the gut. As he fell back Borba grabbed her foot. Faith hissed in pain as her back was dragged over the jagged glass. When she landed on top of him, he bellowed, "Pork and beans. Pork and beans!" The pair exchanged hard blows. Faith struck him in the nose. Borba's fist caught her in the temple. Her world went red. Then black.

Giles watched in horror as his slayer fell. The beast rose and stalked forward once more. "I can smell you," it called to them.

The watcher turned to the children, "Run!" He couldn't follow them, he had to hold this monster off.

"You're the chaff, unblessed. I'll suck the blood from your hearts, he says I may!" It spewed its insanity as it came ever closer. "Shall we gather at the river? The beautiful, the beautiful river?"

Giles fired his crossbow. The bolt went in too high. The monster chuckled at him as he frantically reloaded, and backed away. It pulled the bolt out. Giles backed into the cremation room. He fired again. This time his aim was true. The vampire caught the bolt and snapped it.

"Gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God," it sang. "They told me about you while I was sleeping."

Giles dropped the crossbow and held up a cross.

"Uh! Why does he hurt me?" it hissed and slapped Giles' hand away. The cross went flying.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander found the singing at once useful and creepy as hell. He could tell that Giles was luring the vampire away from them. He led the girls to the door, only to find more vampires blocked the way. Willow screamed. Xander pulled her behind him. Amy grabbed her hand. The vampires shut the metal gate.

"That's weird," Amy said, pulling Willow back down the hall.

"Yeah," Xander agreed backing up slowly, never taking his eyes off the undead menace trapping them.

Another line of the song sent them skittering back into the morgue.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The vampire grabbed Giles and hurled him into the crematory controls. The fires in the open chamber ignited. The watcher slid down the wall, unconscious. Borba bent down to pick him up. He lifted the watcher above his head.

The impact was loud when Faith slammed a steel tray into the vampire's back. His knees buckled and he let go of Giles. Borba turned, grab Faith by the neck and growled as he moved in to bite. Giles staggered to his feet. Seeing his slayer alive, but in grave danger, he grabbed an urn from a rack and smashed it over the monster's head. The beast fell to the floor.

Giles ran to Faith's side. "Are you alright?"

The slayer didn't respond. She leaped at Borba as he rose once more. She struck blow after blow with such speed and ferocity that Giles very nearly thought her possessed. Borba grabbed the slayer by the hair. He flung her onto the gurney.

Borba lunged at her. Faith grabbed his shoulders and put a boot in his gut. The slayer used his momentum to launch him over the top of her. He flew into the open chamber.

Giles kicked the gurney away and slammed the crematory door shut. Borba's face appeared a moment later as he began to scream. Giles watched him burn through the small window. When he was satisfied he turned to Faith.

She was seated on the gurney gripping the side of her head. "Well, At least we stopped that prophecy thing from coming true."

"Handily. No more Anointed One. And I would imagine the Master, wherever he is, is having a fairly bad day himself," Giles agreed. "I think you may have to call in tonight."

She glared at him.

"Let me look at it," he huffed. "You were knocked out."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"You're late, Lehane," Paul chided when Faith arrived. He looked up, "Christ, what happened to your face?"

"Roadhouse," the slayer replied.

"Whatever, Dalton," the Doorman rolled his eyes. "Let's get started."


	5. Chapter 5: Bookended

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

5\. Bookended

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Get it! Go get it, right there!" a teenage boy encouraged his girlfriend.

"I got it!" the girl shouted. She held it up for Tony to see before dropping it into the roach jar. "Free drink, please."

Tony just nodded and served her a diet cola. The Bronze was packed with high school kids.

"Ah, the fumigation party," Willow grinned.

"Hmm?" Faith sat across from her.

"It's an annual tradition. The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches?"

"That explains the excessive time off," the slayer huffed.

"It's a lot of fun," Willow prodded.

"Sounds gross," Faith grimaced.

"At least, they try?" Willow offered.

"Not any less nasty, Red," the slayer took her friend's hand, "Let's get sweaty." The pair made their way to Xander.

He danced up to a girl Faith had seen around the quad. "Hey, Annie!" he greeted her. Xander turned a little and greeted her boyfriend as well, "Hey, Dino!"

"Hi, Annie, Dino! This is Faith," Willow introduced them.

"Hi," Faith gave them a nonchalant wave. The slayer began dancing around Xander.

"I didn't believe it when Blayne said you had a girlfriend," Dino grunted. "Nice work, bro."

"King loser bags queen slut? Yes, nice work," Cordelia mocked as she sauntered up to the group.

"Are you still mad that I dumped that morbid weirdo on you, or is this because your mommy dresses you like hooker Barbie?" Faith asked.

"Owen is a perfectly acceptable date," the cheerleader snapped back.

"So, it is about the dress?" the slayer teased. "Nice shoes," Faith wiggled her eyebrows at the brunette.

"Thank you," Cordelia began a monolog. "They were two hundred at April Fools. They were out of them in white in my size, so I had to get them in eggshell. I have nothing I can wear them with! I had to borrow this dress from Harmony. But daddy said I could go to Rodeo Drive next week."

Xander grabbed Faith around the waist. "I don't know what's worse," He said nuzzling the side of her head, "Cordelia insulting us or ranting about clothes. What are you vixens up to, anyway?"

"Got bored sitting," Faith huffed, "Thought we'd try dancing."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Hours later Faith paused on her way out to glance over her shoulder. She didn't see anything, but she still felt that being-watched tingle in the back of her neck. She also felt the faint whisper of a vampire's presence. Faith headed around the stairs to see if she could get a better read on it.

Angel was skulking around the pillar. Stifling a smirk the slayer sidled up to him, "Whatcha doing?"

The vampire started.

Faith couldn't help but chuckle.

"Um, I," Angel started to explain.

"Are you cheating on Xander?" Cordelia asked from behind her. "I'd understand if you were. Wait. No. I wouldn't. I mean why wouldn't you just dump him for tall, dark and hunky here?"

"Angel?" Faith asked incredulously. "No, he's… Let's just say I'm not into older guys."

"So, he's not taken?" Cordelia smiled brightly.

"Not that I'm aware of," the slayer shrugged. "He's like nearly thirty or something, though."

"That just means he's mature and experienced," Cordelia shot back.

"If that doesn't bother you then go right ahead," Faith stepped aside.

"You two are talking like I don't have a say in this," Angel groused.

"Did you want something?" Faith asked.

"Just to let you know that there are some _guys_ after you in the _worst_ way," He shrugged.

"Thanks for the heads up," She smiled at him. "Don't stay out too late, you crazy kids." Faith sauntered off as Angel sputtered.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles and the others were waiting in the Citroen. Faith paused right before passing an alley, "Come out, I know you're there." As she reached into her jacket for a stake a vampire roared and leaped out behind her. Faith swung around to stake it. A strong hand shot out from the darkness to grab her arm, stopping her. Faith grunted and elbowed him with her free arm, "Hands off!"

A third vampire seized the arm and the pair holding her began to drag her into the alley. Faith lifted her feet and planted them square in the chest of the first vampire. The slayer forced him back as she catapulted up and over his compatriots. Twisting her arms out of the vampires' grasps to land in a crouch behind them Faith grinned.

Giles and Xander had just got to the mouth of the alley. The pair aimed their crossbows and let fly. Xander's bolt went high. Giles' was on target, however, the vampire stumbled and the bolt struck him in the shoulder. The beast let out a feral roar.

Faith stood and, as the guys reloaded, reached up and gripped the pair of vampires by the hair. She slammed their faces together. Bone crunched under the impact. Instinct sent her running towards her friends, "Get to the car!"

The vampires were hot on their heels as they fled the mouth of the alley. Giles turned and fired his crossbow. "Damn," he swore as the bolt stuck into a forearm rather than a heart. "Tego!" he shouted. A dumpster rolled into the vampires' path.

The teens piled into the back or the Citroen. Giles slid into the driver's seat. The car roared to life and sped away.

After a few blocks, Amy asked, "Can you teach me that blocking spell?"

Giles just nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. He scarcely slowed and did not stop until they were safely in the garage. "Into the house," he ordered. "A vampire can't come in unless it's invited." Giles went straight to the library. He called back to them, "There are snacks in the kitchen. Let me know if you need a ride home tonight."

None of the teens bothered the watcher as he flipped through countless books.

Faith made a mental note to get some cots or air mattresses or something as she laid out the spare blankets and pillows.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith yawned and stretched as she joined the group at the dining room table. Giles had made them all scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, and toast. Except for Willow who got an all beef kielbasa and a wedge of pressed potato bits. Giles called them hash browns.

He set a cup of coffee and a book in front of Faith, "It seems we've encountered the Three. Warrior vampires, very proud and very strong."

"How is it you always know this stuff? You always know what's going on. I never know what's going on," Willow whined

"Well, you weren't up until six researching it," Giles pointed out.

"No, I was sleeping," She pouted.

He nodded, "Now, drink your juice." Turning to his slayer, he continued, "Uh, o-obviously you're hurting the Master very much. He, he wouldn't send the, the Three for just anyone. We must step up our training with weapons. However, we are, are not in any immediate jeopardy. Eventually, the Master will send someone else, but in the meantime the Three, having failed, will offer their own lives in penance."

Xander nodded, "Crossbows are a life saver."

"I would like you all to become proficient with the basic tools of combat, beginning with the quarterstaff. Which, incidentally, will, uh, require countless hours of vigorous training." At the looks of doubt he received, Giles added, "I speak from experience."

"G, 20th Century? We're not gonna be fighting Friar Tuck," Amy chuckled.

"You never know with whom or what you'll be fighting," Giles snapped. "Any number of spells may summon forth literary or historical figures, or, or imbue enemies with their skills." The watcher huffed, "And these traditions have been handed down through the ages. Now, you show me good, steady progress with the quarterstaff, and in due course, we'll discuss that blocking spell. If no one has other plans, we'll begin after breakfast."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The four teens stood in a rough line as Giles laid out protective gear and training equipment.

"Risin' up, back on the street," Xander sang softly. "Did my time, took my chances."

"Went the distance," Faith continued. "Now I'm back on my feet." She motioned Willow to join in.

"Just a man and his will to survive," the red head said. "So many times, it happens too fast?" she quirked an eyebrow at them.

"You trade your passion for glory," Amy sang. "Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past. You must fight just to keep them alive."

The quartet sang the chorus together.

"Right now that that's out of the way," Giles turned to face them, "Put your pads on and square off."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The four students were sore and tired the next day at school. Students from the various computer science classes were creating an online database of all the books in the library. Willow and a few others were seated at the study table scanning books.

"Oh, great! A book!" Xander said sarcastically, opening another crate of new arrivals. He pulled the book out of the box and blew some of the dust off of it.

"Oh, uh, I, uh... haven't gone through the uh, put it in, uh," he pointed with the book in his hand. "in, in that pile," Giles stammered. He was quite cross at the council for sending the text to the school.

"Here, I'll get it," a skinny boy in a green button up stood to get the tome.

"Oh, thanks, Dave. The Willow pile," Xander handed it over.

"Uh, when I've examined it, you can, uh, uh, skim it," Giles told them.

"Scan it, Rupert. It's scan it," corrected the computer science teacher. She had the same dark shoulder length hair as Ms. French but with darker, warmer eyes and less predatory features.

"Of course," Giles retorted sarcastically.

"Oh, I know, our ways are strange to you, but soon you will join us in the 21st century," she grinned at him.

"Ms. Calendar, I'm sure your computer science class is fascinating, but I happen to believe that one can survive in modern society without being a slave to the, um, idiot box," Giles countered smugly.

"That's TV," Ms. Calendar corrected irritation evident in her voice. "The idiot box is TV. This," she indicated one of the computers, "is the good box!"

"I still prefer a good book," Giles smirked.

A thick boy with short dark hair stood up and proclaimed, "The printed page is obsolete. Information isn't bound up anymore. It's an entity. The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive." He then grabbed his backpack and stormed out.

"Thank you, Fritz, for making us all sound like crazy people," Ms. Calendar sighed watching him leave. She turned back to Giles, "Fritz, Fritz comes on a little strong, but he does have a point. You know, for the last ten years, more e-mail was sent than regular mail."

"Oh..." Giles raised his eyebrows.

Nodding she continued, "More digitized information is sent across phone lines than conversation."

"That is a fact that I regard with genuine horror," the librarian shuddered.

"I'll bet you do," she smiled coyly at him. Turning to the students, Ms. Calendar announced, "Alright, guys, let's wrap it up for today."

"I've just got a few more. I'll hang for a bit," Willow called back.

"Cool! Thanks," Ms. Calendar said.

As Xander grabbed his bag and pulled it onto his shoulder Willow asked him, "Xander, you wanna stay and help me?"

"Are you kidding?" he replied in disbelief.

Willow pouted, "Yes, it was a joke I made up."

"Willow, I love you, but bye!" Xander bolted.

Willow called after him, "See you tomorrow!"

"Five a.m. run?" he asked glancing over his shoulder.

"Yeah," she nodded reluctantly.

"I'm, I'm just gonna stay and clean up a little. I'll, uh, I'll be back in the middle ages," Giles told Ms. Calendar as he started up the stairs.

"Did you ever leave?" she shot back with a playful smile.

Giles stopped and looked back at her, smiling to himself, before continuing up the stairs.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith was ending a short patrol at the Bronze when she heard glass breaking above her. With a quick look around she found a ladder. "I'm hitting the roof," she said into the walkie-talkie clipped to her jacket.

"Rodger, Dodger," was Xander's reply.

The slayer smirked as she shouldered her crossbow. The climb was quick and at the top, she found a bottle blonde edging into MILF territory in a catholic school girl outfit. She could have been gorgeous with some effort. She was necking with a senior from auto-shop. Faith recognized her. She hit the monitor button on the walkie-talkie, "You're the bitch that turned Jesse."

"Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?" The vampire asked as she dropped the teen.

"Being ten years too old to pull off that outfit?" the slayer snarked.

"To love someone who used to love you," she sighed. "I was the Master's favorite and the world to Angelus."

"You and Angel were involved?" Faith asked.

"For several generations," the vampire nodded a wistful look on her face.

"Well, you've been around since Columbus; bound to pile up a few ex's," Faith shrugged.

The vampire smiled, "I made him. There was a time when we shared everything. He could have come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but he threw that away because of you," the blonde accused. She smiled, "You don't think I came alone, do you?"

"I know I didn't," Faith ducked as Xander loosed a crossbow bolt from behind her. He was panting from his trip up the ladder but his aim was true. The bolt buried deep in her shoulder.

The vampire pulled two pistols from behind her back. "You'll pay for that!"

As she ripped off a round of shots Xander dropped back down the ladder and Faith did a diving shoulder roll behind an air-conditioning unit.

"So many body parts, so few bullets. Let's begin with the kneecaps. No fun dancing without them," the vampire taunted as she stalked around to Faith.

The slayer popped up with her crossbow and fired at the blonde. The vampire doubled over as it hit her in the abdomen. Faith reloaded as she straightened back up again.

"Close, but no heart," growled the monster as it showed its true face. She grabbed the bolt, pulled it out and tossed it aside.

Xander hauled himself up again resting the crossbow on the top rung of the ladder. He fired again and dropped below the roof line without waiting to confirm the hit.

The vampire roared in pain. She turned toward the ladder and let loose a hail of bullets.

Faith fired again, more to keep attention off of Xander that to do any real harm. The bolt struck the demon's hip. "Let's get rid of the nuisance first, shall we?" the vampire pulled the bolt from her hip and trotted toward the ladder.

Faith growled and lunged at her retreating form. The vampire fired off a few wild shots as the pair slammed into the low wall surrounding the roof. The pair were all growling and clawing fury. Faith knocked one of the pistols away.

Xander levered himself over the side, careful to make as little noise as he could. He quickly scrambled the other side of the air-conditioning unit. Finding the gun he quickly slid it in the back of his waistband.

The slayer yanked Xander's earlier bolt from the vampire's back. She tried impaling the demon with it only to have it smacked from her hand. Faith grunted and took a handful of the blonde's hair to keep her from biting her. "Get off of me!" The slayer pulled both her legs in and kicked the vampire away.

"C'mon, slayer. Take it like a man!" The vampire shouted getting to her feet.

Xander stepped up behind her and plunged the recovered bolt into her back. She cried out in surprise and pain. She turned to look at her attacker. "Like Jesse did?" He asked as she fell to ashes.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Later inside the Bronze Faith leaned against their table watching Amy dance. Willow, who would usually be out there with her, was texting on her phone. Xander sighed happily, "Ah, the post-fumigation party."

"What's the difference between this and the pre-fumigation party?" Faith asked.

"Much hardier cockroaches," The dark haired teen replied.

"We need to find a better place to hang," the slayer snorted.

"Ah, there's the rub, my dear," Xander chuckled. "It is here we go to flitter away our free time, not for the fond memories, not for the cheap drinks, not for the terrible, terrible emo bands. No. It is for the lack of options."

Faith groaned.


	6. Chapter 6: I Robot, You Jane

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

6\. I Robot, You Jane

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith dashed to catch up with Willow as she slowly walked through the hall her eyes glued to her cell phone. "Red! Hey, wait up!"

"Oh, Faith, I didn't even see you," the tech nerd grinned.

"Or hear me," the slayer huffed. "Why so phone focused?"

"Well, I sort of met someone," Willow smiled.

"When? Where? What kind of baked goods are we talking? Fresh baked stud muffin, or prepackaged Twinkie?" Faith encouraged her.

"Last week after we did the scanning project in the library," Willow stopped at her locker to swap books. "Online, and I don't know."

"Yeesh. Stale gas station donut, then."

"Ew. No. He's amazing. He's so smart, and, and he's romantic, and we agree about everything!"

"Stalker," the slayer declared.

"I knew you'd react like this," Willow said crestfallen.

"Sure, ya' did. 'cuz yer smart. And you know I'm going to tease you. And be cautious of any guy that can't supply pics; In front of a window, at noon," Faith grinned at her. "Anyway, when do I get to meet Mr. Amazing?"

"Faith," Willow chided her friend, "He's not a, a…"

"Serial killer, pedo, super fugly," she listed off. "You don't know that; he could be anything."

"Why does everything have to be about looks?"

"Two out of three were safety concerns," Faith huffed.

"His name is Malcolm Black, he's eighteen, he lives in Elmwood, which is about eighty miles from here, and he likes me!"

"The two of you, me and Xan should double. But, as long as me or mama Rosenberg tag along when you first meet him I got no problems. I think it's great that you met someone." Faith leaned in to whisper, "But if he turns out to be my kind of problem, I'll beat him down and make you finish the job."

"Okay," Willow sighed. "I'll be careful."

"Good," the slayer nodded. "I won't have to sick big brother Xander on you."

Willow stuck her tongue out at Faith and skipped toward health class. As Faith strolled to her own locker she heard a boy in a slight panic, "This isn't my report! 'Nazi Germany was a model of a well-ordered society'? I didn't write that! Who's been in my files?"

Willow hopped down the steps next to the panicked boy. She was smiling at her phone when a hand was placed over her eyes.

"Hup, guess who?"

"Uh, Xander?" Willow asked him.

"Yeah, but keep guessing anyway."

"Xander," she said flatly.

Xander removed his hand from her eyes, "Oh, I can't fool ya, you see right through my petty charade. We goin' to the Bronze tonight?"

Smiling softly Willow replied, "Not me, I think I'm gonna call it an early night."

"Oh, Malcolm, right?" at her nod he continued, "Yeah, I heard. But you're gonna be missin' out. I'm plannin' to be witty. I'm gonna make fun of all the people who won't talk to me."

"That's nice. Have a good time!" she glanced down at her phone again and her smile brightened.

Faith caught up with Xander, "She's got it bad."

"It's puppy love," Xander shrugged. "When the newness wears off she'll be back to normal."

"I offered us up as a sacrificial double date," Faith confessed.

"I heard," Xander shrugged again. "There's not a lot I wouldn't do for Willow."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The next day Amy, Faith, and Xander stood on Willow's porch waiting for her to start their morning run. Xander was leaning on the doorbell when Ira Rosenberg jerked the door open. "Hi," the teens chorused.

"Xander, Amy and ah…" he paused and scratched his head, "Hope? Charity? "

She shook her head.

"Must be Faith then, you don't seem like a Temperance or Prudence," he grinned. "Unless it's Chastity. But then I think that borders on child abuse. Anyway, Willow was up late, so I don't think she's up for a run this morning."

"Oh, no," Amy slid passed him. "If I'm up so is she. Willow knew what time to expect us. She is so running."

Faith nodded as Ira gestured for them to come inside. Xander waited in the sitting room while the pair of girls went to retrieve their friend. When they came back down Willow was yawning and grumbling, "I don't understand why you don't want me to have this. I mean, boys don't chase me around all the time. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"It's not about that," Amy said, "I don't care that you were up all night chatting with a boy. I care that you join us on the morning run like you promised you would."

"It's that whole actions having consequences thing," Faith offered. "If you're all worried about how we feel about your cyber-beau we could head over to his place this weekend. Would you like that?"

"Yeah," Willow blushed slightly.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

After the morning run, a quick shower and a change of clothes the slayer stopped by the computer lab. "Dave?" Faith called out to the oblivious teen. Fritz eyed her from a few seats away. "Hey, Dave!"

He jumped in his seat when her hand touched his shoulder, "Gah! Oh, what do you want?"

"You're a tech nerd right?"

Dave nodded.

"If I wanted to find out if someone was from where they said they were, like roughly, how would you go about that?"

"That's a challenge," the skinny boy frowned.

"I just wanna make sure Willows boyfriend is what, who he claims," Faith explained.

"Leave Willow alone," he snapped.

"Huh? What's got your panties in a twist?"

"None of your business," Dave turned back to his computer.

"Are you Malcolm?" Faith asked suddenly. She hoped he was. If he was, it meant that Malcolm was Willow's age, local and best of all human.

"Of course not," the boy snorted and resumed work on his project. "Look, I've got work to do. I'll talk to you later, okay."

The slayer sighed and left. She could feel Fritz watching her as she went. Still having time before her first class Faith went to talk to Giles.

"I'm telling you, something is going on," Faith complained to the librarian as he packed books to move to the house. "It's not just Willow being irresponsible; a sign of the apocalypse in and of itself. But Dave is all twitchy and suspicious. And the less said about Fritz the better."

"Those boys aren't sparklingly normal as it is," the librarian marked out ten more occult books that needed replacing with more mundane titles. "I-I-I really don't know how to advise you. Things involved with a computer fill me with a childlike terror. Now, if it were a nice ogre or some such I'd be more in my element."

"You are so getting computer classes," Faith muttered.

Giles glared at her for a moment. Finally, he said, "You could, um, tail Dave, see if he's up to something, I suppose."

Faith nodded.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Arriving at the large gray home she shared with Giles, Faith headed into the kitchen. Giles was making dinner and Xander was whittling stakes. "Anyone know what CRD is?"

"Calax Research and Development," Xander didn't look up from his task. "It's a computer research lab."

The other two stared at him.

He squirmed under their gaze, "Third largest employer in Sunnydale 'til it closed down last year. My uncle, Rory, used to work there, in a floor sweeping capacity."

"So, it's closed, and unlikely to have good security. Since Dave walked right in, in broad daylight. We'll check it out after work."

"Whatever is going on there may be on the up-and-up," Giles tried.

"No, if CRD opened, it would've been on the news," Xander countered.

The watcher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "We will observe and gather more information tonight. We'll save breaking in until after we have a genuine plan."

The teens nodded.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Ms. Calendar entered the library the next morning and looked around for Giles. He was shelving books. Every once in a while, he would flip through a text, set it off to the side and make a note in a small spiral-bound notepad.

"I just came by to check your new database, make sure your cross reference table isn't glitching. 'Cause I'm guessing you haven't gone anywhere near it," she teased.

"Uh, I'm still sorting through the chaos you left behind you," Giles sighed. He really didn't blame Ms. Calendar. If the Council had shipped the books to his home, as they should have, there wouldn't be any chaos to sort through.

"You're such a snob!" the computer teacher grumbled.

"I am no such thing," the librarian retorted.

"Oh, you are a big snob. You, you think that knowledge should be kept in these carefully guarded repositories where only a handful of white guys can get at it," she accused.

"Nonsense!" Giles snapped. "I think people who can read should be allowed to comingle and interact with tangible information; as well as other human beings."

"Well, ahem, I think you'll be very happy here with your musty, old books," Ms. Calendar lifted a tome from the cart and began leafing through it.

"These musty old books have a great deal more to say than any of your fabulous web pages," Giles grumbled.

"Hmm," she responded distractedly. "This one doesn't have a whole lot more to say."

Giles stared at the empty book.

"Is it a diary?" she asked.

"How odd. I haven't looked through all the volumes yet, I didn't, um..." he trailed off. Giles closed the book. There was an etching of a demon with a short snarling muzzle and ram's horns on the cover.

"What is it?" Ms. Calendar asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Uh, um, a, a diary, yes. I imagine that's what it is," he stammered. "Well, it's been so nice talking to you." Giles started for his office.

"We were fighting," she protested.

"Must do it again sometime, yes?" he replied. "Bye, now."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow was sitting next to Faith in biology as Mr. Verona lectured about ecology. Faith took notes and doodled crosses she'd like to get stitched onto the back of a pair of MMA gloves. The red head was surreptitiously typing on her phone.

 **Wil: Do you think we could meet?**

 **Mal: I think we should. Soon.**

 **Wil: What about this weekend?**

 **Mal: That could work.**

 **Wil: I'm nervous.**

 **Mal: I'm not. Isn't that strange?**

 **Wil: That's what Faith doesn't understand, how comfortable you can make me feel.**

 **Mal: Faith just makes trouble. She was always getting into fights at her old school.**

 **Wil: How did you know that?**

 **Mal: It's on her permanent record.**

Willow didn't respond. She furrowed her brow as she studied the small screen.

 **Mal: You must have mentioned it.**

 **Wil: I guess.**

 **Mal: Let's not worry about her anymore.**

 **Wil: I have to sign off. I'll talk to you later.**

 **Mal: Don't.**

 **Wil: Bye.**

She turned her phone off and slipped it back into her pocket. Faith smiled.

After class, Dave jogged up to them, "Faith!"

"Dave! 'Sup?" the slayer grinned at him.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I haven't been getting much sleep lately, ya know?" he apologized.

"No sweat, we've all been there," Faith shrugged.

"Anyway, I looked into that problem you were having," he said nervously. "I, um, I can give you the 411 if you stop by the lab later."

"Sure thing. You free after school?" Faith smiled at him. Dave nodded. "Thanks, Dave," the slayer patted his arm as she started towards the cafeteria with her friends. Willow opted for the salad bar again while Amy indulged in chicken nuggets, Jojos, and pudding. Xander was adding olives to his salad. "That is a confusing lunch Xan," Faith shook her head. "Salad without dressing, southwestern corn, chili with jalapeños…"

"Have patience, young Padawan," he grinned at them while grabbing a bag of nacho-flavored Doritos and a serving of sour cream. "And you will see a true work of art."

"It's a taco salad," Faith put it together.

"Needs salsa," Willow piped up.

"I've got that covered," Xander patted his pants pocket.

Faith smirked at his antics and grabbed a carton of milk.

"Got to give him credit, he thinks outside the box," Amy chuckled.

"And if he does have salsa that's some fine pre-planning on his part," Faith added. The group paid for their food and claimed their regular table outside. Faith opened her lunch to find Giles was getting British on her again. When he'd first made her an English breakfast she'd thought it was weird. Fried tomato and baked beans just didn't go with eggs and sausage. But it filled her up and kept her full. Lunch was generally light. Just a sandwich, sliced fruit, veggie sticks, and hummus, usually. This time, however, there was a scotch egg, a couple of Cornish pasties, a chopped cobb salad, and the leftover cauliflower cheese from dinner. Clearly, Giles had claimed the creamed peas with bacon for himself.

"And you called my lunch confusing," Xander ribbed her while lining seven mild Taco Bell sauce packets up next to his tray.

"Apparently Giles likes to bake," she shrugged. "This is a boiled egg, covered in sausage and breaded. These are basically beef stew hot pockets. Salad, nothing weird there. And this, this is the best cheese sauce ever."

"On cauliflower, though?" Xander questioned.

"You put cheese sauce on everything; you have no grounds to question it. Here," she offered him a bite.

Xander took the offered bite of British cuisine. He chewed thoughtfully before swallowing and declaring, "Yum-oh!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The lab was dim and looked deserted. Faith cautiously stepped inside. "Dave?" she called out. She headed toward the study room at the back, hoping he was in there. "Hello?"

As the slayer reached out to grab the doorknob Dave called out from the front of the room, "Faith! Don't!"

Turning to the boy, she spotted an electrical cord running from an outlet into the study room. She grabbed the cord and unplugged it. Faith heard the patter and squeak of rubber soles on linoleum as Dave ran off. She opened the door. The cord ran up to the knob where the wires were stripped and wrapped around it.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"I'm gonna kill Dave!" Xander growled.

"He tried to warn me," Faith shrugged. She sat on the end of the library table watching Xander pace.

"Warn you that he set you up?" the boy gaped at her. "You could have died!"

"As a slayer, the amperes produced by an extension cord wouldn't have killed her," Giles soothed the teen. He handed Faith a mug of tea, a gesture she was starting to read as 'to soothe your nerves after a fright.' She was more frightened of the upcoming history test.

"Dave doesn't know that," Xander shot back.

"Be that as it may…" Giles began.

"I don't get why Dave would do it, though," Faith interrupted. "I mean, what does he get out of it?"

"Maybe he caught you spying on him?" Xander offered.

Giles trotted over to the book cage. He returned holding up a thick tome with a snarling horned demon on the cover, "Does this look familiar to either of you?"

"Looks like a book," Xander smirked. "Yes, that is a book."

Giles gave him a dry look. "In the dark ages, the souls of demons were sometimes trapped in certain volumes. They remained locked within the book, harmless unless the pages were read aloud. Unless I'm mistaken, this is Moloch, the Corrupter. A very deadly and seductive demon. He draws people to him with promises of love, power, and knowledge. Preys on impressionable minds," the watcher's tone was foreboding.

"Like Dave's," the slayer provided.

"Dave, and who knows how many others," he replied solemnly. He opened the book revealing the blank pages. "He had already been released when that dreadful Calendar woman found it in the pile of scanned books," he gestured to the slowly diminishing mountain of books.

"So a big, bad, horned demon is walking around Sunnydale, and nobody's noticed?" Xander asked incredulously.

"If he's so powerful, why bother with Dave? Why not come at me directly?" Faith wondered.

"I don't know. And I don't know who could've read that book. It wasn't even in English," the watcher sighed.

"It was scanned?" Faith asked.

The trio looked over at the computer.

"And that released the demon?" Xander asked.

"No," Faith corrected, "Transferred him."

Giles paled, "The scanner read the book and that, that brought Moloch out as information to be absorbed."

"So, he's gone binary on us?" Xander raised his eyebrows. "Moloch is in this computer?"

Faith nodded, "And every computer connected to it." She gestured weakly at the modem.

"He's everywhere," Giles muttered.

"What are we gonna do?" Xander inquired.

"Willow scanned him into her file. It may be a futile gesture, but I suggest we, um, uh, delete it," the watcher stammered.

"Solid!" Faith beamed at him, proud that he was learning computer stuff. The slayer hopped off the table and strode over to the computer. "Okay, Willow did most of the scanning so it's probably under her name," Faith typed Willow into the search bar. "Yes, Willow folder. Homework? No. Extra credit? Huh-uh. Oh, bingo! Special projects. Book scanning. And we delete the untitled books, for minimum loss." Faith jumped back as a demonic face flashed on the screen.

"Stay away from Willow! It is none of your business!" was growled out of the speakers.

"Willow's my friend and kicking demon ass is my business!" she snapped while emptying the computer's recycle bin. "Don't know if that worked." Faith powered the computer off.

"This is very bad," Giles muttered.

"Next step?" Xander prompted.

"Get Willow and Amy. Wills could be talking to him right now. God, that creeps me out!" the slayer went to the library phone and dialed the redhead's number.

"What does he want with Willow?" Xander asked.

"She released him," Giles said simply. "Sort of."

"Willow isn't answering her cell. I know she had it in biology," Faith bit her lip. "I'm gonna check the computer lab. You guys call her place, and Amy."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy answered her phone on the second ring, "Hey, Xander." She paused to listen to the other teen. "Yeah, I just dropped her off at her place." She nodded along with his response and said, "I'm on my way, five minutes." Amy was already running back the way she came. The morning jogs with her friends were beginning to accomplish what years of her mother's nagging could not.

Good pacing and developing muscles meant she was only winded and not exhausted when she arrived at back at Willow's home. She banged on the door hard enough to rattle the stained glass. "Willow!" Amy shouted. She gave a frustrated grunt and checked to see if anyone was looking at her. "Recludo!" the witch hissed. She stormed into the house when the lock clicked. "Willow!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Calm down, deep breath. We'll come get you," Xander soothed the distraught girl on the phone. "We'll find her. I promise."

"Dave is… He's dead," Faith murmured.

"How?" Giles asked.

"Hanged. Looks like suicide," the slayer grimaced.

"You don't think so?"

"Not after warning me. This is …" Faith straightened her shoulders. "We have to find Willow, now. You," she turned to Giles, "Got a way to get Moloch out of the 'Net?"

"I, I have records of the ceremonies, but, but that's for a creature of the flesh. Th-this could be something else completely," the watcher stammered.

"Then ask Ms. Calendar to help," The slayer shrugged.

"How am I supposed to convince her that there's a demon on the Internet?" he inquired.

"Don't know," she shrugged again. "Think of something." She grabbed Xander's arm to tug him along, then stopped. "I need the keys."

"You're not old enough to drive!" the librarian gaped at her.

The slayer just held out her hand.

"Just be careful," he caved. He tossed her the keys and trotted into his office to call Ms. Calendar. Giles pinched the bridge of his nose when the voice mail picked up. He left a short message and flipped the radio on.

The news was terrible. Computer systems worldwide were crashing or behaving oddly. Giles powered the computer back on. He paced for a few moments before snatching the records to read up on the ceremonies.

"Hi. I got your message. What's so urgent?" Ms. Calendar asked after knocking on the door.

Giles switched his radio off and moved to lean against the table. "Um, thank you for coming. Uh, I need your help," he gave a nervous laugh. "But before that, um, I need you to believe something that, um, you may not want to," he folded his arms across his chest. "Uh, there's, uh... something's got into the, um... i-i-inside, um..." he stopped his stammering and took a steadying breath, "There's a demon in the Internet."

"I know," Ms. Calendar replied.

Giles arched his eyebrows at her. He unfolded his arms and stood up straight. "You already know? How exactly is that?"

"Come on, there've been portents for days. I mean, power surges, online shutdowns. You should see the bones I've been casting. I knew this would happen sooner or later. I mean, it's probably a, a mischief demon, ya know, like Kelkor, or..."

"It's Moloch," Giles interrupted.

"The Corrupter? Oh, boy," she blew out a breath. "I shoulda remembered, I just don't..."

"Uh... You don't seem exactly surprised by... Who are you?" he narrowed his eyes at her. "You hardly seem the type to be casting bones."

"Wrong and snobby. You think the realm of the mystical is limited to ancient texts and relics? That bad old science made the magic go away? Mm. The divine exists in cyberspace same as out here," she huffed.

"Are you a witch?"

"I don't have that kinda power. 'Technopagan' is the term," she replied.

Giles chuckled. "Wouldn't Techno Wiccan be more PC? Pagan is a derogatory term for non-Abrahamic religions, after all."

"Smug," she muttered. "Sure Techno Wiccan. Whatever."

"What's on the net at the moment is less than divine," He grabbed the empty book. "I have the binding rituals at hand, but I'm completely out of my idiom."

Ms. Calendar moved over to the computer, "I think I can help! Well, I hope, I mean, well," she paused. "Do you know how he got in?"

"He was, uh, scanned, I believe," the librarian offered.

"And you want him back in the book?" she tapped the tome.

The walkie-talkie in his office chirped before he could answer. He nodded to Ms. Calendar as he jogged in to grab it. "Go ahead."

"Willow was taken, minimal struggle," Faith's voice came through the speaker.

"Where are you?"

"CRD."

"Ms. Calendar and I are, uh, working to get Moloch offline."

Ms. Calendar flipped through the text on the ritual. "The first thing we have to do is form the circle of Kayless. Right?" She crossed over to the book cage and sifted through his supplies.

"Form a circle? But there's only two of us. That's really more of a line."

Finding some candles, she set about arranging them around the computer. "You're not getting it, Rupert. We have to form the circle inside," She sighed taking a seat at the computer. "I'm putting out a tweet. I just hope enough of my group responds."

"Won't Moloch just shut you down?"

"Well, I'm betting he won't figure out what we're doing until it's too late."

"Hoping and betting, that's what we've got." Giles groaned.

"You wanna throw in praying? Be my guest," Ms. Calendar responded. "Okay! We're up. You read; I type. Ready?"

"Uh, I am. By the power of the divine, by the essence of the word, I command you..."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander was limping badly as the trio made for the back entrance. He'd fallen making his way over the fence. Amy made short work of the door, "Nihil obsaepiunt iter!" It smoked lightly but offered no resistance when she pushed on it.

When they ran across guards Faith let the other two incapacitate them; Xander with a quick punch or a sleeper hold and Amy with a nifty sleeping spell. The slayer slammed into a heavy steel door at the end of a long hallway. Rubbing her shoulder she gestured for Amy to try.

"Sto ónoma tis Ekátis sas exorísei! Petáxte apó tin parousía mou! Prépei na fýgei!" Amy's voice became unnatural and booming as she chanted. "By my power I command it!"

The steel door flew from its frame crashing into the wall beyond.

"Whoa," Xander gasped.

"Remind me never to piss you off," Faith nodded at her.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"By the power of the circle of Kayless, I command you," Giles read aloud as Ms. Calendar typed. "Demon, come! I command you!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

As the trio of heroes entered the lab where Moloch was keeping their friend, the demon – or rather a robotic representation of him – was writhing in agony.

"Okay, Robot Jock, step away from the damsel," the slayer strode forward and booted him in the chest. Faith grunted.

Moloch staggered slightly. He wailed, "No! I won't go back!"

Amy grabbed Willow, "Come on."

Xander was grabbed from behind by a man in a lab coat. Xander slammed the lab tech into the wall. He elbowed the man in the gut. The guy slid down the wall clutching his stomach. With a satisfied grin and a severe limp, the raven haired teen jogged to catch up with the retreating girls.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Demon, COME!" Giles Commanded. Wind swirled around the library causing the candles to flicker erratically. The computer sparked several times but continued to function.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The demon was screaming now. Faith took advantage of his distraction and kicked his knee joint. Moloch fell to one knee, still howling. The electronic roar slowly died. His head came up to connect with Faith's boot. Moloch stood suddenly, flinging Faith aside with one arm.

"I was omnipotent. I was everything! Now I'm trapped in this shell!" he bellowed.

"We have to help Faith!" Willow skidded to a stop next to a fire extinguisher.

"I've got nothing left, Will," Amy confessed.

"We need to get you out of here," Xander stated.

"This is my fault! I won't leave her!" the redhead snapped. She ripped the extinguisher from its bracket.

The trio of teens heard a hard metallic impact followed by a shriek of primal rage. Faith ducked below another powerful strike. She somersaulted away from the demon. He advanced on her. His damaged leg did not slow him down. Moloch had trapped the slayer against the wall. He reached out to grab her.

"Malcolm!" Willow shouted. He turned to the girl. "Remember me, your girlfriend?!" She thrust the fire extinguisher into his chest. The blow caused him to step back. "Well, I think it's time we break up!" She hit him again backing him up another half step. She aimed the next blow at his face. Unfortunately, Moloch snatched the extinguisher from her and cast it aside.

While he was distracted by Willow Xander scurried over to Faith. He shoved a fire axe into her hands. Moloch grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him away. "This body's all I have left. But it's enough to crush you," he returned his attention to the slayer.

She only growled and swung the axe at his leg. The sharpened steel bit into aluminum and plastic joints. The axe was wrenched free just as quickly and slammed home again. And again. The leg was soon severed as Faith ducked under his powerful strikes. The slayer turned her attention to the downed demon's head.

Moloch was scattered all over the hallway before the slayer calmed down and dropped the fire axe.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles approached the computer lab with some trepidation. He cleared his throat and knocked lightly to get Ms. Calendar's attention.

"Well, look who's here! Welcome to my world," she greeted him warmly. In a teasing tone, she added, "You scared?"

"I'm remaining calm, thank you. Uh, I just wanted to, uh," he held up a silver earring, "return this. I found it among the new books, and naturally, I thought of you."

"Cool. Thanks," Ms. Calendar fingers brushed his lightly as she took it from him.

"Uh, well, I'll see you anon," Giles turned to leave.

"Can't get outta here fast enough, can you?" she asked.

"Truthfully," Giles turned back toward her, "I'm even less anxious to be around computers than I used to be."

"Well, it was your book that started all the trouble," she pointed out, "not a computer."

Giles considered arguing that the scanner had, in fact, started it. However, he was inclined to believe it was the Council's fault for shipping the books to the school in the first place. The book should never have been near a computer. He remained silent on the subject.

"Honestly, what is it about them that bothers you so much?" Ms. Calendar pressed.

"The smell."

"Computers don't smell, Rupert." She gave a little exasperated laugh.

"I know! Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is," he grinned. "A whiff of certain cologne, the aroma of fresh baked goods can bring up experiences... long forgotten. Books smell. Musty and, and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, is, uh, it has no texture, no context. It's, it's there and then it's gone," he sighed. "If it's to last, then, then the getting of knowledge should be, tangible, it should be, um... smelly."

"Well! You really are an old-fashioned boy, aren't you?" she teased.

"Well, I-I don't dangle a corkscrew from my ear," he snarked back.

"That's not where I dangle it," Ms. Calendar smiled mischievously.


	7. Chapter 7: The Puppet Show

**Faith the Vampire Slayer:**

 **The Master**

 **7.** **The Puppet Show**

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"How did you finagle such a primo gig?" Faith asked Giles. He was hunkered down in the school's auditorium listening to Cordelia Chase singing off key.

"Smith is out sick," he paused then called up to the stage, "Thank you, Cordelia. Tha-that's going to be lovely."

"But I didn't do the part with the sparklers!"

"Um, w-we'll, um... save that for the dress rehearsal," the librarian groaned. "Uh, Lisa! Please!" He turned back to the four teens, "Bob thought it would behoove me to have more contact with the students. I did try to explain that my vocational choice of librarian was a deliberate attempt to minimize said contact, but, uh, he would have none of it."

"Can't argue with Bob," Faith nodded.

"If you had any shred of decency, you would have participated, or at least, um, helped," her Watcher grumbled.

"I think I'll take on your traditional role," Faith grinned.

"And watch!" Amy snickered.

"And mock!" Xander added.

"And laugh!" Willow piped up.

The four teens laughed.

"Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends," the Slayer quoted as she turned to leave.

Giles muttered, "It bloody well feels like it."

Principal Flutie was standing at the entrance to the auditorium with his arms crossed and his eyebrow arched. "So, we think school events are lame and authority figures are to be mocked. And we think our afternoon classes are optional; the four of you left campus yesterday."

The teens had the good nature to look sheepish. Even though they had the best reason –

namely, fighting demons and saving humanity – they knew full well he'd never believe it. Flutie continued to chide them, "You need to integrate into this school. Show some school spirit! I know just the thing, too. I just found four eager new participants for the talent show."

"What?" Amy balked

"No!" Xander cried out.

"Please?" Willow begged. "You can't make us have talent!"

"Assist or perform, the choice is yours," he smiled benignly at them. Flutie headed toward the stage.

Xander tried to reason with him, "Can I just mention that detention is a time-honored form of punishment?"

The girls nodded vigorously in agreement.

"And how well has that worked out so far, Mr. Harris?" the principal called back.

Xander wisely stayed silent.

Giles smirked at the four grumbling teens as they took seats in the row behind him. He called up to the stage, "Thank you, Lisa!"

The next act up was a boy with a dummy. Faith scrunched her nose, Amy groaned, and Xander shuddered. Willow, on the other hand, was smiling, "I think dummies are cute. You don't?"

"Ever watch the Child's Play movies?" The Slayer asked her. When Willow shook her head no, Faith raised an eyebrow. "Really? Homicidal doll? Kills people all gruesome…?" Willow shook her head even more fervently, but suddenly turned back to the stage, not exactly keen on the sight any longer. "Dolls just give me the wig," Faith added.

"And it being Sunnydale and all…" Xander said.

"I will hurt you _so_ badly," Amy said, pointing at him.

On stage, the budding ventriloquist introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Morgan!" He then answered for his dummy, "And I'm Sid!" The voice he used for Sid was just a nasally version of his own. "Hey Morgan, would you like to tell some jokes?" he continued. His mouth moved more when he spoke for the dummy then for himself. "Would I!" he responded with too much enthusiasm. "As a matter of fact, it is! It's also a wood nose, and a wood mouth," Morgan laughed nervously.

Giles took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Morgan pressed on. "I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Alright, time out. Let's stop this before someone gets hurt," Sid interrupted. His voice was rough and deep like a 1920's noir detective that enjoys whisky and cigars. "Kid, you are the worst. Even I can see your lips move."

The students milling about waiting for their turns started to giggle.

"C'mon, Sid. You're spoiling my act. I worked on these jokes for weeks," Morgan pleaded with him.

"You call those jokes? My jockey shorts are made out of better material," Sid quipped. Seeing the audience gathered at the edge of the stage he added, "And they're edible!"

Everyone present laughed. "Seems we'll have one good act at least," Giles smiled. The Watcher then dispatched the four teens to the backstage area to coordinate the competitors.

As Morgan was packing up, Sid wolf whistled at the girls, "Mm, mm, mm. Look at the goodies!"

Morgan blushed.

"Morgan, you're really getting good! Where did you come up with that voice?" Willow moved over to him.

"It's kind of an imitation of my dad," he shrugged, shifting Sid in his arms.

"It's impressive," Willow lifted the dummy's hands.

"Yeah, the kid's great, honey. I'm a bit rusty, though. How about you and I do a little rehearsin' on our own?" Sid waggled his eyebrows. "You know what they say: once you go wood, nothin's as good!"

"Okay, Morgan," Xander interrupted. "We get the joke: Horny dummy. Super funny. You might think about cutting the schtick; unless you want your prop ending up as a Duraflame log."

Morgan and Sid exchanged a concerned look.

The teens continued to assist backstage until a loud scream was heard over the mild din. Faith raced to the source; the girls' locker room. When no sounds of fighting could be heard, Willow and Amy followed her in. Willow backtracked moments later and barely made it out to a trash can in the hall to throw up. The budding witch went to the pay phone and dialed the police.

Later, after the paramedics had carted off the body and a detective had taken over comforting and questioning the girl that found it, the Slayer filled her Watcher in on the gruesome details. "It was Emily," Faith started.

"Emily. Dancer Emily?" Willow asked weakly.

Amy nodded.

"It must have happened just after rehearsals. There was a cross-country meet at Melville that she never showed up for," Giles informed them.

The Slayer continued. "Her heart was removed, with a knife."

"That does imply a rather more human assailant than normal," the Watcher frowned.

"Could be a cult, a sacrifice or a ritual, though. Lots of the dark stuff calls for hearts," Amy grimaced.

"Right. You and Giles hit the books while Xander, Willow and I interrogate the competitors. One of them was probably the last to see her," Faith instructed.

"Tomorrow," Giles put a hand on her shoulder. "It's getting late." He looked to the three of them. "I'll call your parents, see if you can come over for dinner, and then drive you all home."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"I didn't know her too well," the girl who had performed the tuba solo, Lisa, explained to Faith. "There's that whole dancer/band rivalry, y'know?"

The brunette nodded, "Yeah, I've heard about that. Weird. You think you lot would hook up for awesome performances."

"Too much ego on both sides," she shrugged. "Emily was super nice, though, when I talked to her yesterday."

"How did she seem?" the Slayer asked.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"She was happy. I guess," Marc, the stage magician, shuffled a deck of cards as he answered Willow's questions. "She was psyched to be doing the show. She was a really good dancer. Here, pick a card," Marc fanned the cards out.

The redhead reached for a card at random.

"No, wait. Not that one. Pick this one," Marc gestured to one.

"Do you remember the last time you saw her?" she asked as she took the card.

"Yeah, she was talkin' to someone," Marc tilted his head and scrunched his eyes.

"Who?"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"That smart guy. The one with the dummy. What's his name?" Elliot furrowed his brow.

"Morgan?" Xander suggested.

"Yeah, him," the curly haired juggler nodded. "He was actin' kinda strange."

"Strange how?" the other boy asked.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Well, Morgan's just strange. He's always rubbing his head a lot and moaning. Especially the other day," Lisa answered.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"He seemed kinda paranoid. Lookin' around at everyone," Marc replied.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"And I think I saw him arguing with his dummy," Elliot informed Xander.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The three teens entered the library after classes. Willow informed Giles and Amy, "Everyone I talked to seemed to point their fingers at the same person…"

"Morgan?" Faith asked.

"Morgan," Willow confirmed.

"We have a winner!" Xander grinned. "So, what do we do? We don't slay people. We wanna bring him to justice right?"

"We could set up a complex sting operation where we get him to confess!" Willow chimed in.

"I should wear a wire!" Xander nodded at her.

"Hold up, you guys," Faith interrupted. "All we know is that Morgan is King of the Weirdos. That doesn't lead directly to murderer."

"Guy talks to his puppet!" Xander countered.

"And for his puppet," Willow added.

"Be that as it may," Giles stepped in, "He is innocent until proven guilty. We will find this murderer, but in the meantime... the show must go on."

"Priorities, G-man," Amy smirked. She moved her hands up and down, imitating a set of scales. "Murder, talent show."

"Faith, you, uh, watch Morgan. Amy, Check his locker, see if there's anything there," Giles ordered.

"Like a heart?" Willow asked.

"Or something," the Watcher stood, "Xander…"

"Go with you to grab donuts and coffees from the Espresso Pump," the boy suggested.

"Alright," Giles sighed as he headed to his office for his keys.

"I'll pull up his locker number," Willow nodded to Amy.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

When Faith got to the auditorium, Morgan was the only one there. He was on stage talking to Sid. "How are we supposed to…" he cut off as the Slayer approached. "Oh, hi."

"Hello," she gave a little wave.

"I was just working on throwing my voice," he explained.

Faith nodded. "Morgan, did you notice anything weird going on around here yesterday?"

"Weird? What d'you mean?" the ventriloquist asked as he gathered up his dummy.

"With Emily. Did she say anything to you, was she arguing with anyone?" the Slayer pressed.

"No. She was dancing," he replied opening the dummy's case. "Sid and I were talking."

"Talking?" she questioned.

"Rehearsing," he clarified.

"So, you didn't notice anything weird at all?"

Suddenly Morgan pressed his hands to his forehead and moaned in pain. He slumped to a sitting position on the floor groaning.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Faith put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, sweetheart! He answered your question. Now leave him alone!" Sid snapped at her.

Faith reached over and slammed the lid on the case, "Cut the Howdy Doody crap, Morgan. You were the last person anyone saw near her. You know how it looks? Antisocial weirdo with a puppet as his only friend? The cops will pin this on you faster than you can say scapegoat."

The lid to the case shot open and Sid stood shouting, "He said all he's gonna say. Now leave him alone!"

For a split second Faith was frozen, then the Slayer reflexes kicked in. she slammed the dummy down into the case then closed and latched the lid. She also grabbed Morgan's arm and hauled him to his feet. "What the hell?"

"Don't hurt him!" Morgan shouted. "He didn't do it! It wasn't Sid!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy muttered to herself as she opened Morgan's locker, "Two to the left, three to the right, Recludo!" The witch rifled through his belongings for several minutes. She found only a notebook full of terrible jokes, a binder of meticulous science notes – which she quickly used a minor incantation to duplicate – and a prescription pill bottle. Amy jotted down the name of the doctor and was putting everything back when a hand grabbed hers. "Eep!" she spun and flipped her large assailant over her shoulder like Giles had taught both her and Willow. It wasn't until her potential attacker had slammed back first into the lockers with a hard _bang_ that she realized who he was. Her heart sank. "Principal Flutie?" she cautiously helped the man to his feet.

"Ow," he complained.

"You scared me," she defended her reaction, "and with what happened to Emily…"

"No that's alright. Perfectly understandable. It's heartening to see that my students can take care of themselves. Very smart. Sunnydale can be a very dangerous place." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Apparently," Flutie grunted as he straightened up. "What I don't understand is why one of my students is going through another student's locker." He glanced inside and saw the pill bottle. "Drugs?"

"What? No. Notes," Amy held up the duplicate science notes. "I don't know anything about that."

"These should be held in the nurse's office anyway," he grumbled. "And just where is Mr. Shay?"

"Um, the auditorium," Amy guessed.

"Right, come along young lady," Flutie instructed.

"Aw, man," the girl muttered following. The pair entered the auditorium only to find it empty. Amy took the chance and recited a complex spell. Principal Flutie stood at the edge of the stage and stared up at the microphone stand.

"Mr. Shay? What were these doing in your locker?" he asked. There was a long pause as he appeared to be listening intently. "That makes sense. Did you make a copy," Flutie nodded. "For Ms. Rosenberg, I see. Well, here, make sure you take those home." He tossed the pill bottle at the microphone stand and left.

The witch slumped to the floor panting. She rested there for a few minutes before collecting the bottle.

Amy entered the library to see the gang gathered around the table with Morgan and Sid. Sid was standing on the table, shouting at Faith.

"Well, my news pales in the comparison," she tossed the pill bottle to Willow. "Our Mr. Shay is deeply unwell."

"How did you get those?" Morgan asked angrily.

"Broke into your locker," Amy shrugged at him. "So you gonna spill, or do I send Wills here off on a little Google search for that Dr. What's-his-name?"

"I have a brain tumor," Morgan slumped into a chair as though admitting it stole all of his energy.

"Bad luck," Amy gave him a curt nod. She turned to Sid. "So what's your deal? I mean, why are we not lighting the creepy doll-man on fire?"

"I'm a demon hunter," the puppet snapped. "And you could be a little more sympathetic."

"Guys that hide the fact that they're dying don't want sympathy, they want normalcy," the witch responded. Willow gave Morgan his pill bottle.

"Uh, we… We may have found a possible demon culprit," Giles held up a thick tome. "Th-there's a reference in here to a Brotherhood of Seven. Demons who take, uh, the form of young humans. Every seven years these demons need human organs – a-a-a brain and a heart – to maintain their humanity. Otherwise they, they revert back to their original form, which is, uh, um, slightly less appealing."

"Or," Faith offered, "it's puppet-boy. Willow found a section on toys and magic. Dolls'll sometimes harvest organs to become human."

"Dolls and mannequins already mystically possessed of consciousness," the redhead corrected.

"So we're still debating about whether or not to 'light the creepy doll-man on fire'," explained Xander. "Faith is for, Willow against, I'm on the fence and Giles wants to be sure we got the right guy first."

"Fair enough," Amy nodded.

"I'm telling you, it's the Brotherhood of Seven! I was hunting them when they cursed me. I've killed six. If I can get the last one, the curse will be lifted and I'll be free," the dummy insisted.

"I need to get to the auditorium," the librarian announced. "Sid, if you would kindly return to your case, you and Morgan can sit with me during the rehearsal."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith skulked about backstage. Mostly she was helping move equipment, but she also had to make sure everyone kept to the schedule.

"And my lovely assistant steps into the box..." Marc's voice floated back from the other side of the curtain. Everyone backstage chuckled when the magician snapped, "You were supposed to leave!" at his assistant.

"I don't understand why I have to follow Brett and his stupid band," Cordelia complained to her.

"Because we have to clear their equipment before the finale," the Slayer sighed.

"But the mood! It'll be all wrong!" the cheerleader insisted. "My song is about dignity and human feelings and personal... hygiene or something. Anyway, it's sappy, and no one is gonna be feeling sappy after all that Rock and Roll."

"There ain't a single act we got that can set the mood for you. That's on you. That's the hard part. You have to pour your soul into that song," Faith countered.

"But," Cordelia started.

"I can swap you with the juggler after the tuba solo, or send you out first and one of them last, but I really think it's in the show's best interest to end on a high note. Don't you?"

The girl nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Faith checked her watch and called out to the stage, "That's time, Magic-man. Curtain drops in three, two, and one. Let's get you cleared off." The Slayer pushed the box and assistant off stage. "Lisa, get out there!"

Marc was still arguing with the blonde girl. "You keep missing your cues!"

"They're bad cues! Your timing is all wrong!"

"All you have to do is look pretty and get out of the box! It's not rocket science!"

"Take it easy there, Marc," Faith cut in. "Take a break, calm down. Try running through your act with someone else. Maybe that'll clear some things up."

"Yeah, okay. Is Willow here?" he asked.

"Yeah, over by makeup," she told him.

"Thanks," the girl in the box said as he walked off.

"He's probably just nervous," Faith shrugged.

The girl nodded. "He's usually an okay guy. He's been acting weird since they announced the show, though."

"We'll get him straightened out," Faith smiled at her. The rest of the dress rehearsal went smoothly.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"The problem might be your props," Willow explained, examining the guillotine Marc was using for his act. She had been too busy to help him during the rehearsal but had stayed after to check the props. "If you calibrated the units of weight then you could calculate the specific maximum velocity achieved before the point of impact."

"Gosh, Willow, you're so smart! Could you do me a huge favor?" Marc asked. "Run through my act with me."

"Are you sure there's no one else who could help you out? I have terrible stage fright, and I don't know the lines," Willow stammered.

"It's just a run through to test the props and cues. You won't have to say anything."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"How are we going to find this demon, if there is one?" Faith asked.

"He'll need a brain," Giles offered. "A healthy, intelligent brain."

"So, I'm safe," Xander beamed. Faith and Amy rolled their eyes.

"We, what, stalk the smart kids?" Amy asked.

"Willow can get us a list of the …" the Slayer trailed off. "Willow!"

Faith, Xander, Sid, and Giles sprinted out of the library. Amy made to follow but a cry from Morgan stopped her. The boy collapsed to the floor. The witch checked for a pulse and respiration. She found neither. "If Willow dies because I'm saving your life I will kill you," she hissed before starting chest compressions.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Marc tested his guillotine on a honeydew melon. Willow picked up a melon half. "Oh, my!"

"Pretty cool, huh? Lie down."

"How exactly does it work?" Willow asked as she watched him pull the blade back up and secure its rope.

"A good magician never tells his secrets," Marc returned coyly.

"But how is your assistant supposed to know what to do?" She gulped nervously but allowed herself to be helped onto the guillotine. "Shouldn't it be aimed at my neck?" she asked as he secured the lunette over her forehead.

"No. No, this way your scalp gets sliced off and your brains just... come pouring out," Marc explained as he locked it with a padlock.

"Uh, so, what exactly is the trick?"

"Trick?" the boy grinned as he pulled the chest restraint tighter.

"Marc?" Willow's eyes went wide. "Oh god! You're the demon!"

Grabbing a hatchet he just grinned at her. Marc took a swing at the rope. Willow screamed. He took another swing. The rope was cut half way through.

"Marc, stop, please!" the redhead shouted. "Faith! Help! Help!"

A third swing had the blade slipping a bit. Another and the rope was hanging by a thread. Marc raised the hatchet for the final cut.

The Slayer tackled him to the floor. There was a flailing of limbs as she littered him with blows. Desperately, the boy shoved her away. Faith rolled with it and moved smoothly into a leg sweep as he tried to stand. He staggered to his feet once more as she loosed a hard strike to his face. Instead of bruising, his skin seemed to revert to its demon state.

Giles and Xander strode confidently past the brawl. The Watcher scooped up the hatchet on his way. He began working on the padlock while Xander held the blade up.

Marc gave up on getting up and kicked Faith in the knee. The Slayer stumbled backward. The demon pressed the advantage and lunged forward slamming her up against a wall with his hand around her throat. As he repeated the action, again and again, Xander could only watch. He held the blade of the guillotine in sweaty, white-knuckled hands.

Giles finally broke the lock and cut the chest restraint allowing Willow to sit up. Xander sprinted to Faith's aid, letting the blade fall as Willow undid the belt securing her feet.

"Get off her!" Sid shouted landing on the demon's back and driving a blade into it. The demon ignored the puppet, despite the large knife jammed into its shoulder, and continued slamming Faith into the wall.

Xander tackled the demon to the floor. Faith took a much-needed breath. Sid was sprawled on the floor clutching the knife. As Marc stood the Slayer hit him in the nose with the heel of her palm. She quickly followed with a backhanded punch. Grabbing the stunned demon by the head she hauled him onto the guillotine and held him in place. "Now or never, tiny!" she called to Sid.

The diminutive hunter hopped up and straddled the demon. "And now for the big finish," he plunged the knife into the demon's heart. Sid pulled back to do it again, but his aim was true the first time. The puppet slumped over, lifeless.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy handed Morgan a cup of water as the others returned to the library. Willow was carrying the puppet.

"Sid," Morgan staggered to his feet spilling the cup. He cradled the puppet in his arms sobbing. After an awkward silence he begged, "Please, Amy bring him back. Use your magic to bring him back! He's the only friend I have! Please!"

"I can't," she said, her eyes rimmed with tears.

"You brought me back!" he accused.

"I shocked you to restart your heart," Amy sniffled. "You, your soul was never gone. I can't bring him back, Morgan. Not every ending is a happy one."

"Especially on the Hellmouth," Xander added.

Everyone looked at him. It was incredibly profound. And was all too true.


	8. Chapter 8: Nightmares

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

8\. Nightmares

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith was quietly making her way through a round access tunnel, stake in hand. The tunnel gave way to an underground chamber littered with candles. She descended a set of rough stairs to the floor below, aware of an ominous presence. It was the same tingle in the back of her neck as a vampire, but more insistent, stronger.

A loud hiss to her right startled her, the stake she carried slipping from her fumbling fingers. Faith felt as if she were moving in slow motion as a thin gray skinned vampire with pointed ears and red eyes advanced on her. Faith was soon backed against a wall as the vampire reached out with his hand and gripped her throat. His long pointed nails caressed her skin. Faith could only stare as the bat faced vampire leaned down for the bite.

Her world went red, then black.

Faith watched the scene before her. A scared brunette girl turned into a snarling savage fighter. The savage girl flung the vampire away. She leaped on top of him, raining pain down upon him – punches that shattered the stone floor when they missed bone and flesh, knees and elbows that sent joints in the wrong direction, and a hard boot that pulverized everything beneath it. Soon, the vampire was little more than a bloody mess.

Faith watched as Giles entered the chamber. She tried to warn him, but he couldn't hear her. He grabbed the savage girl's arm and tried to pull her up and hand her a stake. The savage girl flung the Watcher away. He hit the far wall with a wet _crunch_. His lungs rattled as he struggled for breath. He tried to reason with her, to calm her. The savage girl didn't care. Faith could only watch, screaming and helpless.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"No! No!" Faith thrashed beneath the covers. "No…"

Giles called from the doorway, "Faith, wake up." He tossed a small foam ball at her headboard.

Faith's eyes snapped open, "Giles?" she asked weakly.

"It's time to get up for school," the Watcher smiled at her. He stooped to retrieve the ball from where it landed next to her bed. "You missed your alarm. Are you alright?"

"No. Uh, yeah! I'm fine," she sighed.

"You were having a nightmare," he said as he stood and stepped toward the door. "If you think it was a Slayer dream, or you just want to talk about it, we can discuss it in the car. Now, hurry, the bacon is getting cold."

"Just the bacon, huh?"

"Yes the beans will keep and the eggs know to bloody well behave themselves." He smiled at her and headed back downstairs.

Faith showered and dressed quickly. At the table, she gulped down her orange juice and piled her sausages, bacon, eggs and grilled tomatoes between slices of toast. She dipped it in her beans.

Giles blinked at her as he ate. Finally, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Breakfast sandwich," she answered, speaking around the large bite she'd taken.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he chided.

"We're in a hurry, right?" He nodded. "Faster this way."

"Ah," he said in feigned comprehension.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Hello? Doofus!" Cordelia snapped. She lowered her compact to glare at a boy looking over his essay. "You're in my light."

"Wendell, what is wrong with you?" Xander walked up to the pair chuckling. "Don't you know that she is the center of the universe, and the rest of us merely revolve around her?"

"Why don't you revolve yourselves out of my light?" Cordelia countered. The bell ringing saved the boys from responding. They took their seats as the girls arrived.

"Uh, Wendell was in Cordelia's light," Xander informed them.

"I'm so ashamed," the boy sporting a ponytail gave an exaggerated frown.

"Why is she so Evita-like?" Willow scrunched her nose.

"I think it's the hair," Amy grinned.

Willow smiled as well, "It weighs heavy on the cerebral cortex."

"Alright, take your seats. In a moment we will choose partners and practice what we read about in chapter five," Mr. Whitmore instructed the class. "Before we do, let's review. Isaacson's research led him to conclude that one of our most fundamental needs after food and shelter is to be heard. Mr. Sears, would you read the first two paragraphs on page seventy-eight – where Isaacson describes the rapid improvement active listening brought to some special needs clients."

Faith saw movement in the hallway, in the open door. Turning to look, she saw a young boy with dark brown hair staring shyly into the classroom. She was about to say something about him when Wendell screamed. Tarantulas were pouring out of his text book. Students adjacent to him, including Xander and Willow, joined in the screaming. They fled to the back of the class room.

"Please! Get 'em off of me! Help! Help! Get 'em off of me! Help me! Oh, please help me! Please!" Wendell chanted. He held perfectly still as the spiders crawled all over him. "Please help me!"

Faith moved over to him and delicately plucked the Tarantulas off of him. "Wuss."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"You're awfully quiet this morning," Giles said as he pulled the Citroen into the school parking lot the next day.

"I didn't sleep well," his Slayer replied.

"Nightmares? I had to wake you twice. You were yelling in your sleep. Do you know what you were dreaming?"

"Not really," She looked at him and saw his disbelieving stare. Sighing she added, "I was fighting a really old vampire."

As they got out of the car Giles asked, "The Master, perhaps?"

"I think so. He was all pale and bat faced."

"Your training is progressing nicely, Faith. He remains trapped, and there is no reason to face him until you are ready," he reassured her.

Giving him a weak smile Faith said, "Thanks."

When the Slayer reached the hall that held her locker she was met by her friends. "Oh, Faith, we've been looking for you," Willow announced.

"We have?" Xander asked.

"Oh, about the spiders, did you talk to Giles about..." Willow started to babble.

"Oh, the spiders!" Xander spoke over her. "Willow's been kind of, um, what's the word I'm looking for? Insane about what happened yesterday."

"I don't like spiders, okay? Their furry bodies, and their sticky webs, and what do they need all those legs for anyway? I'll tell you: for crawling across your face in the middle of the night. Ewww! How do they not ruffle you?" the redhead asked.

"I'm ruffled. Done with bugs, remember?" He grinned. "It was pretty intense, but not as bad as the mantises."

"I guess," Willow sighed.

"Well, the Hellmouth, the center of mystical convergence, supernatural monsters: been there," he shrugged.

"Little blasé there, aren't you?" Amy quipped.

"I'm not worried. If there's something bad out there we'll find, we'll slay, we'll party!"

"I admire your confidence, Xan," the Slayer smiled.

"Okay, but we're still caring about the spiders here. Let's not forget the spiders," Willow blathered.

"Well, Giles said he was gonna look it up. We can hit the library before class," Faith started off in that direction. "Giles?" she called out as they entered.

"Maybe he's in the faculty room," Willow offered. After a moment the librarian stumbled out of the stacks, bewildered. "Hey, Giles!"

"Wakey, wakey!" Amy called to him.

"I was, uh, in the stacks. I got lost," Giles muttered.

"Did you find any theories on spiders coming out of books?" Xander asked, reaching around Willow's shoulder while wiggling his fingers. "Big, hairy, crawly..."

Willow let out a squeak and smacked him.

"It's funny if you're me," he told her.

Giles opted to ignore their antics, "I couldn't find anything, uh... particularly illuminating. Um, I think perhaps you'd best have a chat with Wendell himself."

"Will do," Faith nodded. "Are you okay? You seem out of it, but you were fine earlier."

"Oh, uh, yes. I'm fine, just tired, I guess," the Watcher smiled at her.

"Sorry about that," she returned the smile sheepishly.

"Quiet alright, and not your fault," he reassured her before returning to the stacks.

The teens headed off to find Wendell. He was sitting on a table in the quad outside.

"Hey, how are you?" Faith asked as they approached. He looked at her with a dazed expression. "You okay?"

"Good talking to ya, man," Xander patted the other boy on the back and turned to leave. Faith pulled him back.

"Do you guys want something?" Wendell asked after a moment.

"We just thought you might wanna talk about what happened," Amy said.

"You know, yesterday? With the spiders?" Willow clarified.

"I don't know what to say about that," Wendell shrugged.

Xander nodded, "There's nothing _to_ say. You saw two hundred bugs, you Gonzoed, anybody would have."

"They're not insects. They're arachnids," Wendell corrected automatically.

"True, but I said bugs, not insects. That's a much wider category. And trust me we share your wiggins," the teen explained.

"I'm not afraid of spiders. I love 'em. They hate me," he shook his head.

"What do you mean, you love spiders?" Willow asked as the group sat down.

"I had the best collection in the tri-county area. Browns, tarantulas, black widows," his voice was filled with pride as he started explain but was filled with anger as he finished, "Then my folks shipped me off to wilderness camp. All my brother had to do was maintain their habitats. Instead he left their heat lamp on for a week. When I came home they were all dead. That's when the nightmares started."

"Nightmares?" Faith asked.

"It's always the same. I'm sitting in the classroom, teacher asks me to read something, I open up my book and then there they are. They're comin' after me. God, can you blame them after what I did?" Wendell rested his head in his hands.

"And that's how it happens? Every time?" Xander asked.

"Yesterday in class I thought I'd just nodded off again. But then everyone else started screaming, too," the other boy confirmed. The group of teens trooped off to Health class after the warning bell rang.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander frowned at Faith as she dipped her broccoli in his nacho cheese sauce. "You know, that wouldn't be so annoying if we'd gone on a date."

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Uh, no," he shook his head. "This is school lunch in the quad, with our friends. Even I know this doesn't qualify as a date."

Amy and Willow nodded.

"So, I'm free Thursday night," the Slayer shrugged dipping another piece of broccoli.

"Hey, G-man," Xander greeted as the older man jogged up to their table.

"A girl was attacked in the basement," the Watcher explained as he caught his breath. "The custodian found her. Laura something."

"Egler?" Amy asked him.

"Yes, I believe so," the Watcher nodded. "Do you know her well?"

"Just to say hi to," Amy shrugged. "She's nice enough. She's a smoker, but she always makes sure the bathroom is empty before she lights up."

"Any witnesses?" Faith interjected.

Giles shook his head, "Only Laura."

"Here's hoping she saw what hit her," the Slayer slung her bag over her shoulder. "Amy, if we're not back …"

"Homework and notes for history," the witch finished.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Room 3016," Faith reminded Giles as she scanned the room numbers. Finding her room the pair knocked before entering. Faith grimaced at the cuts and bruises on Laura's face and arms. The girl looked up at them.

"Hey," Faith smiled as she set a 'get well' plant on the bedside table.

"Hi," Laura replied weakly.

"I hope we're not intruding, um..." Giles started. He took a quick glance around and found the name of the doctor in charge of Laura's care on a whiteboard.

"That's okay. I don't wanna be left alone," she assured him.

"You understand we're anxious to make sure this, this doesn't happen again," the Watcher said as sat in one of the available chairs.

Faith sat on the edge of the bed. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Laura nodded. "I was in the basement. I went down for a smoke. There was... someone there."

"Someone you knew or, or…" Giles hesitated it suggest the supernatural.

"I've never seen anything like it," Laura whispered.

"It?" Faith pressed. "Can you describe it?"

The girl floundered for a moment before tearing up and shaking her head.

The Slayer reached over and gripped her hand. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. The important thing is that you rest and heal up."

"Yes, Quite." Giles nodded.

"But, ah, _if_ you remember anything, you can tell us. Even if seems weird," Faith added.

A nurse bustled in while Faith was talking, greeted Laura and began taking her vitals. "She needs her rest now."

The Watcher and Slayer started to leave when Laura said, "Lucky nineteen."

The pair turned around. Giles inquired, "I'm sorry?"

"It's what he said, right before... He said 'lucky nineteen'. That's weird, right?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, it is," Faith patted her leg. "Feel better."

"Take care," Giles added. Out in the hall he spotted Laura's doctor, "Is she going to be alright?"

"You family?"

"Friends," Faith responded.

"She's lucky. She'll recover just fine, with some physical therapy. She got off pretty easy," he murmured almost to himself.

"Easy?" Faith raised her eyebrows at him. "You have a different definition than I do."

"Well, the first one's still in a coma," the doctor indicated a room just down the hall.

"First one?" Faith asked not liking the sound of that at all.

"First victim," he clarified as they moved to peer in through the open door. "They found him a week ago. Exact same M.O. as the girl, only he's in worse shape. If he doesn't wake up soon..." the doctor trailed off and shook his head. "Somebody's gotta stop this guy."

"Somebody will," Giles all but growled.

As the pair left the hospital Faith grabbed Giles' arm, "I saw that boy just before the thing with Wendell."

"You've seen him at the school? Recently?" Giles asked for clarification.

Faith nodded, "A couple of other times too, but stuff always seems to happen and he slips away."

"He's been in a coma for a week. How can this be possible?"

"Answers are your territory. I just slay monsters," the girl quipped.

Giles favored her with an annoyed look. "There's astral projection…"

"Spirit walking while asleep," Faith pursed her lips. "A coma is like sleep, right?"

"Uh, well, um, in theory, but as usual, one doesn't have an inordinate amount of information to work with."

"Well, let's get you back to the library so you can look stuff up."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander and Willow were headed to their lockers, ignoring the bravado of a group of wanna be toughs. "I'm just saying," Willow theorized, "Wendell had a dream and then that exact thing happened."

"Which is a fair wiggins, I admit," Xander nodded, "but do you think that ties in with Laura?"

"I dunno. Maybe she dreamed about getting beat up. We should ask Faith when she gets back from the hospital," the redhead shrugged.

The pair snickered as the doting mother of one of the toughs came in and embarrassed her 'little pookie'.

"It could be a coincidence," Xander offered as they entered their class. "Y'know, Wendell finds a spider's nest, and we all wig because he dreamt about spiders. So it may not be connected."

Instinctively, Xander froze at the first peal of laughter. A sudden dip in temperature and an odd sensation swept over him.

Willow glanced around frantically seeking the source of the students' amusement. Her best friend was presently only wearing his boxers. "Xander!" was all she could say before the boy bolted from the room chanting 'Gotta wake up,' and pinching himself. Willow dashed after him.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles sat at the study table staring at a stack of newspapers. "This can't be happening. This can't be," the librarian muttered. The words were gibberish, but he had found an article with a picture of the boy from the hospital. Giles sighed in frustration as Faith returned from the stacks with a book on astral projection. "Read this for me," he pushed the paper at her.

"Twelve-year-old Billy Palmer was found beaten and unconscious after his kiddie league game Saturday. Doctors describe his condition as critical," Faith read aloud. "Check it out, the photo, he's number nineteen. _Lucky nineteen._ "

Xander burst into the library pulling on his gym shirt, "Red alert!"

"Wh, where are your other clothes," Giles stammered.

"Oh, don't I wish I had the answer to _that_ question," the teen snarled.

"Xander kinda found himself in front of our class not wearing much of anything," Willow grinned smugly.

"Except my underwear," he muttered.

"It's funny if you're me," she told him.

Xander frowned, "Nudity is a whole other level, Wills. It's a total nightmare."

Willow's eyes lit up, "Yeah, Xander! It's _your_ nightmare! Like with Wendell, he had a recurring dream about spiders!"

Giles snapped his fingers, "I-I dreamt that I got lost in the stacks and I, I couldn't read. Of course!"

"You read like three languages," Faith snorted.

"Five, actually," he responded off handedly.

"So, our dreams are coming true?" Faith asked, paling slightly.

"Dreams? That would be a musical comedy version of this. Nightmares, our, our nightmares are coming true," the Watcher corrected.

"So, why is this happening?" Willow wondered.

"Billy," Faith and Giles answered together.

"Well, that explanation was shorter than usual," Xander snarked. He turned to Willow, "It's Billy!" He then back to the pair ton ask, "Who's Billy?"

"Astral-projecting-coma boy," Faith summarized their working theory.

"Worst superhero name ever," Xander said, deadpan. He received only sour looks as response. "Sorry."

"So, he's, he's accidentally bringing our nightmares to life?" Willow asked.

"Thanks a bunch, Billy," Xander groused.

"How can he do that?" the redhead pressed.

"Things like that are easy when you live on a Hellmouth," Giles informed them. "We need to find Billy and see if we can stop this."

"I'll go look for him, since I'm the only one that has seen him. You three, and Amy when she gets out of class, look up ways to counter astral projecting and the like," Faith said in her Slayer-in-charge tone.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Out in the hall, she passed Cordelia trying desperately to run a comb through impossibly frizzy hair. Faith dashed through the teeming mass of students as they shambled to their next class. Finally, she spotted Billy headed to the gym.

When she arrived the Slayer found him on the bleachers, looking glum. "Billy?" she called out. The boy looked up at her as she approached. "Billy Palmer?"

He nodded in response.

Faith to a seat next to him, "I'm Faith. Hi."

"Hi."

"Do you know what's going on?" the Slayer asked.

"I'm sorry," Billy replied.

Faith put her arm around his shoulders, "Nah, it's not your fault, squirt. Do you remember what happened after your game?"

Billy ran his hands through his hair and scrunched up his face, "Something bad. I, I don't remember."

"Take it easy, don't stress out. You remember playing baseball?"

He nodded, "I play second base."

"And you're 'lucky nineteen,' right?"

"That's what he calls me," Billy whispered.

"Who?" the Slayer pressed.

"The Ugly Man. He wants to kill me. A-and he hurt that girl," Billy whimpered.

"Why does he want to kill you, Billy?"

"He's," Billy paused and Faith squeezed his shoulder gently. "He's here!"

A tall, hulking figure in dark clothing with a bald head and deformed, burnt face rushed at them. He swung wildly at Faith with a club like stump. Faith ducked below the swing, "Strike one." The Slayer landed a salvo of body shots before flipping backwards to avoid another swing. "Strike two." As she moved back in the club like limb arched up to knock her away. Faith spun to the side and used her momentum to execute a spinning wheel kick to his jaw. "Strike three."

The Slayer's grin slipped from her face as she saw that the ugly man was unfazed. In her momentary lapse he struck. Her world went red, then black.

Faith watched as the savage girl from her nightmares tore into the ugly man. She clawed at his face. She pounded at his chest. She twisted his limbs. It slowed him, but did not stop him. Faith turned and ran tailing Billy out the door.

"Billy!" She called to the fleeing boy as she wedged a hockey stick through the door handles.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," the boy stopped to let her catch up.

"Not your fault. Who is he?"

"He's the Ugly Man," Billy replied.

Faith gave him a sad smile. "We have to find my friends. They're trying to find a way to stop this. To stop him."

"We have to hide," the boy insisted.

"He'll find us," Faith dismissed the suggestion.

"Yes, but we have to hide. That's how it happens. We hide, and then he comes," Billy explained.

Faith nodded, "We'll hide in the library."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy checked her texts as soon as the bell rang. Willow had messaged her during class; whatever was happening, it was likely psychic in nature. The witch dashed to her locker to get the Scapulas of Protection as they would help ward off general bad mojo.

As Amy walked to the library she watched Cordelia being dragged into the chess club. She was wearing the worst outfit the witch had ever seen: a pale green ankle length wool skirt, a chunky belt and an oversized white blouse with a hideous deflated bow around her neck. It was a parody of frump. Amy couldn't help but laugh.

"Amy," a voice called out to her.

She looked about to see where it was coming from. The basement door shut softly drawing her attention. The witch opened it.

"Amy," the voice called out again.

"Dark creepy basement where a girl was nearly beaten to death? Nope!" Amy slammed the door. "No thanks, I choose life!" she turned and ran to the library. "I hate slasher movies, anway."

In what Amy could only describe as a spatial rift Willow was standing on a stage with guy that looked like Pavarotti. He would sing a line of Italian, and turn impatiently to Willow who would squeak.

Xander was brawling with a clown. Not even a demonic one, just a birthday clown.

Giles stumbled over to her, "Thank god you're here. We need to find Faith."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith and Billy burst through a pair of doors that normally led to the hallway containing the library. Today, however, they just dumped them back outside on the other side of the gym, by the track field. A couple of students were playing a pick game of Baseball.

Billy stared intently at them.

"What's wrong, squirt?" Faith asked as she assessed their surroundings.

"When you lose, it's bad," Billy told her.

"Did you lose your game last week?" the Slayer asked.

Billy nodded, "It was my fault."

"How was it your fault?" she pressed.

"I missed a ball and I should have caught it," he turned back to the game.

"You missed one ball and the whole game was your fault?" Faith asked. "I have a hard time buying that. Were the bases loaded? Did no one else miss a ball, ever? Everyone hit tons of home runs?"

"He said it was my fault."

"Who?" Faith asked. "What moron thinks that the outcome of a kiddie league game rests solely on the second baseman?"

"Can we go another way to find your friends?" Billy asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah, sure. We can try around the cafeteria." Faith steered him in that direction as the ugly man rounded the corner and punched a student out. "Or not. This way!" She pushed Billy ahead of her through some shrubbery.

On the other side was a cemetery shrouded in a light fog. The night sky glittered overhead.

"Is this where your friends are?" Billy asked

"No," Faith sighed. "Library. If you need to run, head for the library. Got it?"

Billy nodded.

"Upside: I don't see the Ugly Man. Downside: I also don't know where the sun and the rest of the world went," the Slayer frowned.

Billy wandered over to a freshly dug grave with an open pine coffin inside. "Look at this," He called Faith over. "I guess we're gonna bury someone. I wonder who died."

"Nobody died," a dry voice answered from behind them. "What's the fun of burying someone if they're already dead?"

Faith stared in shock at the bat-faced vampire, "No."

"So! This is the Slayer! You're prettier than the last one," the Master chuckled.

"This isn't real. You're just a nightmare," Faith backed away. "Billy, run."

"You still don't understand, do you? I am free because you fear it. Because you fear it, the world is crumbling. Your nightmares are made flesh. You have little Billy to thank for that," the demon gestured at the retreating boy with one clawed hand.

"This isn't my nightmare," the Slayer moved into a fighting stance. "It's yours."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"You are a lousy clown! Your balloon animals are pathetic! Everyone can make a giraffe!" Xander stood triumphant over his foe. "I feel good! I feel liberated!"

"Things are getting worse. In a few hours reality will fold completely into the realm of nightmares," Giles informed them.

"Thank you, Captain Buzz-kill," the teen returned as he pulled Willow from the stage and draped her scapula around her shoulders. "What do we do to stop it?"

"The only thing I can think is to try and wake Billy," the Watcher adjusted his glasses.

"So we rendezvous with our Slayer and high tail it to the hospital," the raven haired boy opened the door for the rest to troop through.

"Finding her in this mess will be easier said than done," Giles murmured as he frowned at the chaos before them. Nightmares from the tame to the truly horrifying were menacing the population.

"Not really," Amy countered. "We just look for the biggest piece of hell that broke loose and search that."

"Like that cemetery across the street. The one where it's night time?" Willow pointed to the front doors. The group ran out and through another spatial rift into the cemetery. "Whose nightmare is this?"

Giles dropped to his knees in front of an open grave. The head stone bore Faith's name. "It's mine. I've failed. In my duty to protect you, I should have been more c-cautious; Taken more time to train you. But you were so gifted. And the evil was so great. I'm sorry."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith tried call out to them, but her words didn't reach them. The savage girl stalked toward her friends. Faith ran over to them. She tried grabbing them. She tried pulling them away. She tried pushing them. She tried yelling and screaming. The savage girl stalked closer.

Desperately she lunged at the savage girl; tackling her to the ground. Faith grabbed the savage girl's hair, "Stay away from my family!" she punctuated each word with a powerful blow.

"Oikogéneiá," the savage girl gasped. Suddenly she bucked beneath the Slayer. Faith fell forward as the savage girl seized her arms. With a twist of her hips she rolled them sideways. Now above Faith, she held the Slayer down with one hand. The savage girl pressed her other forearm against the Slayer's neck and growled, "Kakistos skótose tin oikogéneiá mou!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander turned motion caught his eye. "Faith!" he called out. The Slayer stood motionless a few steps from them staring blankly at Giles. "Are you okay?"

Giles stood quickly and pulled Xander back when he made to approach her, "She's not… It's not her, Xander. Get Willow and Amy out of here. Now."

"We aren't leaving Faith."

"That's not Faith."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith's lungs burned. Her head pounded. Her vision dimmed. She punched ineffectively, scratched desperately. As instincts failed her Giles' training kicked in. Faith planted her feet and arched up. Tipping to the side she managed to dislodge the savage girl. Blindly, Faith shoved her opponent's head to the ground. She caught a glimpse of a small tribal tattoo on the savage girl's arm as she scrambled away.

"I won't let you hurt them!" Faith screamed. "I'm the Slayer! One girl in all the world with the strength and skill to stop the spread of vampires, demons and the forces of darkness. But I'm not alone! And I won't let you hurt them!"

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Nightmarish seconds stretched out before the Watcher but the change he fears does not come. In fact, there was no change in his Slayer at all save for the evening out of her breath. Giles stepped closer, reached a tentative hand out to Faith. She did not react as he took hold of her wrist and felt for a pulse.

Steady but slow, her blood pumped through her veins. Her skin was warm, but only just. "Perhaps she astral projected trying to follow Billy!" Giles surmised. "Faith, you must return to your body! There, there should be a link between it and you. Please Faith, you must hurry!"

Xander looked deep into the Slayer's unseeing eyes, "Come on, Faith. Come back to me. We got a date on Thursday. I know a place that does the best barbecue."

Faith blinked repeatedly her eyes focusing a little more each time, "I love barbecue."

"Love you, too," Xander pecked her on the cheek.

"Time for that later," Giles admonished as he herded the teens out of the cemetery. "We need to get to the hospital and wake Billy. That should put an end to all this."

Faith nodded at her Watcher.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The hospital was chaos. Multiple grim reapers chased people with scythes. Patients foamed at the mouth. Windows were busted out. Paper was strewn everywhere.

Faith shoved passed a doctor near Billy's room, screaming at his hands. "What now?"

"Um," Giles staggered in and leaned down to the boy. "Billy!"

"That won't work," the boy said. He had appeared next to the window.

"You have to wake up," Giles told him.

"No. I told her. I have to hide," Billy insisted.

"Why? From what?" Giles asked.

"From him!" Faith growled.

The Ugly Man was making his way down the hall.

"I've been having an off day, but I think I can handle a rematch, slugger," the Slayer closed the distance rapidly. She bore him to the ground and captured his club arm in an arm bar. Planting her feet on his shoulder and ribs Faith pulled with all her strength.

It sounded like branches breaking. There was an underlying wet ripping noise. The monster thrashed as Faith kipped up, holding its arm in one hand. She slammed the blunt club down on its face.

"I-is he dead?" Billy asked.

"Not quite," Faith gestured him over, "You gotta do the honors, squirt."

"I, I don't..." the boy stammered.

"It's the only way to end it," Faith insisted.

Billy slowly moved around the bed and out into the hall. The Ugly Man lay at the Slayer's feet, bleeding profusely.

"No more hiding," Faith whispered.

Billy reached for the Ugly Man's neck. He peeled back his face like a rubber mask on a Scooby-doo villain and a bright light flooded out.

In the next instant everything was back to normal. The Ugly Man was gone, Xander and Willow were back in their regular clothes and the hospital was functioning.

"Hey," Xander said grinning, "he's waking up!"

"I had the strangest dream," Billy croaked. Amy offered him a glass of water. "And you were in it, and you... Who are you people?"

Faith came in and sat on the edge of his bed, "The cavalry."

"Let's get a doctor," Giles turned to leave.

"Oh! Huh. Billy's got company," an out of shape man in his forties stepped into the room. He took off his red baseball cap. "I'm his kiddie league coach. I come by here every day, just hoping against hope that he's gonna wake up soon. He's, uh, my lucky nineteen," the man stammered. "So, um, how is he?"

"Awake," Faith sneered at the man.

"What?" the coach asked.

"You blamed him for losing the game," Faith stalked forward. "So you caught up with him afterwards, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" the man stammered, backing up with each word he said.

"You said that it was my fault that we lost," Billy spoke up.

The coach made a break for it but found his escape blocked by the other four. Xander grabbed him by the lapels and gave him a firm shake.

"It wasn't my fault," Billy continued. "There's eight other players on the team. You know that!" he slumped against the pillows.

"Good job, squirt," the Slayer smiled at him.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Faith," Giles called her into the living room.

"Yeah, G?"

"I, I'd like to discuss your nightmare, if that's, if that's alright."

"I guess. What did you wanna know?"

"Start at the beginning and tell me everything."

Faith fought valiantly against her tears as she described seeing herself attacking him. They fell as she described the terror of seeing the savage girl approach her friends. She furiously wiped them away as she told him about tackling the girl in desperation. "I'm not even sure how I got back in my body. One minute I'm yelling at her to stay away from you guys and the next Xander's telling me he knows a great barbecue joint."

"You conquered your fear." Giles gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"I'm still worried," Faith confessed.

"Yes, well, I shall look into it. Is there any other detail you might have?"

Faith thought for a moment. Nodding she told him, "She did say something. Taquitos skoda city echo yen ya moo."

"That is just awful, truly. Utterly terrible," Giles stared at her.

"Yeah, yeah. But do you know what it means?" the Slayer arched her eyebrows.

"Not a clue. Are you sure it was skoda and not skótose?"

"That sounds right," Faith admitted.

"Oikogéneiá, Perhaps?" Faith nodded. "It's Greek…although if I'm not mistaken _taquitos_ is Hispanic in origin."

"It might not have been taquitos, then."

"Katistos?" Giles inquired.

"Yeah! That's it. What is it?"

Giles paled as a sudden realization hit him. "It's not an _it_ but a _who_. He's a very fearsome vampire. The sentence should read Kakistos skótose tin oikogéneiá mou. Or roughly translated Kakistos killed my family. In Greek, Kakistos means 'the worst of the worst'. A vampire so old his hands and feet are cloven. His human guise has all but fled him at this point."

"Oh, well yeah that makes more sense." Faith said, nodding.

"Quite. I would have been hard pressed trying to figure out the riddle of 'Taquitos killed my family," He said, flatly.

"Maybe if we were researching Taco Bell." Faith offered. "You hungry? 'Cuz now I want Mexican food."


	9. Chapter 9: Some Assembly Required

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

9\. Some Assembly Required

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Roller skating?" the Slayer asked incredulously.

"We can go someplace else if you wanna," Xander blushed.

"No, it's cool," Faith said linking her arm with his. "Okay, not _cool_ , cool, but you know. It sounds like fun."

"Two for the open skating and one rental," Xander paid the fourteen dollars as Faith let the guy know her size. "The food here is…food. It's palatable and doesn't contain rodent that I'm aware of, so that's a plus. The drinks are overpriced, but they can't tell if you brought your own or got them from the machine. So, I've got two waters."

"See it's the whole ' _that I'm aware of'_ part that gets me. Either way, good looking out," Faith nodded. The rink was nearly empty, but a group of tweens was gathered in the arcade area. Xander took to the smooth rink floor like a duck to water while Faith stumbled around like a drunken swan. "How are you doing that?"

"They have wheels, you just gotta glide. You can't walk on skates," he explained. He circled around behind her and took hold of her hips. "First thing is standing. Put one heel in the arch of the other foot. Don't lock your knee. Good. See it's not so hard." he leaned his head on her shoulder, "Next big thing is moving. Toes out for forward, in for reverse and straight for both. The duck walk – knees bent, toes out, and baby steps – looks silly but is the easiest way to learn balance."

"You said you couldn't walk in skates," Faith pointed out.

"Yeah well, you can't _just_ walk, it's a special walk." He swung gracefully out in front of her and demonstrated. "Now you," Xander held out his hand to her. The Slayer took a dozen tiny steps over to him. "And backward."

Faith stared at him blankly. "Backwards?"

Xander nodded. "Trust me, you can do it. Just take it slow, and don't let your feet get too far apart. Less than shoulder width at all times, okay?"

Faith nodded and took six steps back. "That is supremely unnerving," the Slayer decided.

"Now, stopping…" Xander moved in close to her.

"Learning to stop before I go?"

"You'll thank my later," Xander grinned. "I had to learn to stop the hard way." He tilted his head back and showed her a scar on his chin. "I biffed it into the wall at top speed."

"Ouch," Faith said before she leaned up and kissed the little pinkish blemish.

"So, you bend your knees – get used to me saying that, by the way – put your hands out to counter balance, shift your weight to one foot and put your other leg out behind you lightly dragging the toe stop. When you stop go back to the tee position, heel to arch," he demonstrated briefly. "That's a toe stop. A tee stop looks cooler, but it's a bit harder. Same setup but instead of dragging your toe you turn your back foot out and, keeping all four wheels down, drag the far wheels, never the front ones. You have to have control for this one or your back leg will swing around." Xander moved to stand beside her. "Now, bend your knees, shift your weight to one foot and slowly push off with the other."

Faith was immediately glad he had taught her to stop first. As soon as she was gliding she wobbled and put her leg out behind her.

"Keep your feet closer together," Xander suggested. "And hold your arms at about waist height." The pair set off again and the Slayer had much better luck. "Alright, we're coming up on a turn."

"Knees bent," Faith headed him off.

Xander smiled and gave her an appreciative nod. "Shift your weight to the inside leg, lining up your toes, knee, and nose. Push with your outside foot. Good. That's the basics!" He rolled out in front of her for the straight stretch. Suddenly the lights dimmed and music started playing. It would have been romantic if the song wasn't _Funkytown_ by Pseudo Echo.

Xander started doing the Night at the Roxbury head bob. He added the John Travolta Point Move followed by an arm roll and a few chicken flaps. When Faith grinned at his antics, Xander threw in the sprinkler and the cabbage patch as well.

"Oh god, Xander, this is so you," She called over the music. At his curious look, she explained. "Dude. We're at a Disco Roller-rink. Even you gotta admit this is cheesy as hell."

"Cheesy good or, you know, Limburger?"

"Cheez Whiz, Xan. Ooey-gooey Cheez Whiz." She grinned happily. "And I love me some Cheez Whiz. Now quit being all Bee-Gees and show me something I can do besides stumble around like a wino."

"That's the great thing about disco: All of the iconic moves are upper body. This is where you live." he returned to the Roxbury bob. "Then you just hitchhike." He shook his thumb at his right shoulder four times, leaning back on the fourth, then repeated with the left. He followed this with a pair of short arm rolls punctuated with more thumbing. "Always alternate and repeat; everything is done on a count of eight. Throw in clapping and the Travolta where ever you like. Oh, and the bump is a good one too. Just hip tap with your partner every other beat." He demonstrated a light bump so she could see that it didn't mess with her balance on the skates. "When you're a little more confident I'll teach you more turns and we can add in the footwork."

Faith didn't stop smiling the entire time they were there. She especially loved that while disco was playing you could shout out a random 'woot, woot,' and that Xander knew the Macarena, words and all.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The restaurant smelled amazing. Even the parking lot smelled of fire, sizzling meats, and spicy peppers. They had a traditional pit sunk down in the middle of the floor, fenced off for safety.

"Welcome to Barbacoa," the host greeted them with a smile. He was maybe college age, tattooed from neck to navel and had spacers in his ears. "Booth, table or pit side?" They decided on a booth. "Tonight's specials are the Beef Brisket, the Mutton sampler, and the Grilled Vegetarian platter. Every dinner comes with your choice of three sides. Can I get you drinks and starters, or do you need a moment?" He handed the pair menus and folded his hands in front of him, waiting for their reply.

"A Blackberry-Lavender Lemonade and a Peach-Pomegranate iced tea. The Doc's Sampler Platter, pork for the meat, with Smoky Ranch, Chipotle Cocktail Sauce, and Sweet Onion and Pineapple Barbecue sauce," Xander ordered for them confidently. As they took their seats he told her, "The sauces are a zero, a one and a three on the spicy scale."

"I like spicy food," Faith told him.

"This place has, like, two dozen sauces and dry rubs ranging from zeroes to five alarms," Xander told her.

"Twenty-six," the host interjected. "We just added a Mango Habanero Barbecue sauce. I can bring you a sample. Will that be it to start?" At their nods, he jotted down their order and told them, "Iris will be your server, George's on the grill and Harley's manning the pit. I'll be right back with your drinks."

"Sweet, thanks," Xander replied.

As they waited for their food Faith led Xander to the jukebox. "You can't dance when you're at the Bronze." She searched the songs and nodded, selecting something classic with a good beat. _Don't Bring Me Down_ by Electric Light Orchestra belted out. "Okay," Faith said, turning toward him. "Do that Roxbury head bob." At his half-uttered 'what,' the Slayer explained, "This is where you live."

"Oh," he started bobbing, "the bounce."

"Now take your own advice and always alternate. Sway it side to side." As he began moving, she smiled and nodded. "Yeah, just like that. Keep your hands low, my waist, or from your waist to your shoulders; Alternate, repeat at an eight count. Don't ball your fists, keep it loose. That's it, that's all you do," Faith told him.

"That's it?" Xander asked dumbfounded.

Faith nodded and the pair danced until the song ended. "How you can have the rhythm of a stripper on skates, but not be able to dance without them is going to be forever beyond me," she said as they took their seats.

"I'm a man of many contradictions," Xander said, smiling. He pulled the end off of the paper on his straw and blew the remaining paper at her. Not paying attention, the projectile caught Faith in the lip. She quickly did the same to him, but he dodged to the side as it flew past his head. "Hah."

Their sampler platter arrived just as they both chuckled. The Slayer claimed half of the fried okra immediately, while Xander set his sights on the calamari.

Iris came over to take their order. Her silver hair was pulled up in a short bee-hive. She had on a purple blouse, large round eyeglasses, and dangly Kokopelli earrings. "What can I getcha, kids?" She asked in a soft southern accent.

After they ordered, Faith grabbed what looked like a chimichanga. "What's in this?" Faith asked after taking a bite and setting it back down. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"The Redneck Egg Rolls? Pulled pork, coleslaw, and Monterey Jack cheese," he explained. "They're best with the ranch."

Faith did not care for the warm coleslaw. She did like the stuffed jalapeños with bacon, the seafood stuffed mushrooms, and pork rib tips.

"So," Xander began after their food arrived. He'd gone with the traditional Mexican barbacoa – slow smoked beef cheek tacos with diced onions, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice served with guacamole and salsa. "Read any good books lately?"

"That is a terrible topic. But yes, I just finished Vamypre last night," the Slayer smiled. "Wanna borrow it?" Faith bit into a hot sticky beef rib. The sauce was thick and spicy with a hint of molasses. She was glad it came with complimentary wet naps.

"I guess I should read it," the boy frowned, "but couldn't you just give me the cliff notes version?"

She shook her head and finished chewing. "You've already got it. It's the details that make the book informative," the Slayer specified. She stole a bite of his curried succotash and moaned, "God, that's good."

"Try this," Xander offered her a fork full of the tangy apple slaw. "I always get at least one side I haven't tried before. They rotate them seasonally."

"Mmm. I should've been more adventurous," she lamented poking her collard greens and cornbread.

"Nah, it's your first time. You gotta make sure they can do the basics," he scooped a bite off her plate. "Besides, the potato salad here is the best."

"What is that, I don't know, zing to it?"

"Sea salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, and pickled red onion," Xander explained, "Diced red pepper for garnish." Xander took a bite of the five cheese macaroni casserole that the menu lovingly referred to as Mac'n'Cheese. "Mmm. Love this," he offered her a bite of the gooey, creamy pasta.

"All the yes. I want it to have my babies," the Slayer moaned.

Xander laughed, "I know, right?" The pair ate in relative silence for a while, stealing the occasional bite from the other's plate. "Movies and TV make this whole conversation thing look easy."

"That's 'cuz the characters don't have to think about what to talk about. It's all either plot relevant or character development. You know important, weighty stuff. They never just shoot the breeze without something happening," Faith enlightened him. "If they have an awkward silence or lame topic, that's the point of the scene. Either they're socially awkward or the pair has nothing in common. If they woulda had one but didn't, the scene ended or plot happened at a convenient time."

"That is so true," he agreed.

When they had finished their meal Iris came over and asked them, "Can I getcha sump'n for dessert, or do y'all want the damages?"

"The damage, definitely," Xander groaned. "I could not eat another bite."

Faith nodded her agreement.

As they left Faith asked, "Would you mind joining me for a quick patrol of the waterfront, before walking me home? I rarely get out here."

"I would love to take a romantic stroll along the pier with you," Xander wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they headed off.

The ocean stretched out, vast and black before them. In the distance, stars dotted the sky. The waves lapped gently at the pier. As it was still mid-April there was a light chill in the air. The pair of teens walked down the beach to the marina in a comfortable silence.

It was an altogether new sensation for Xander, who spent much of his energy filling all kinds of silence. For once, he was content to enjoy just being with someone without feeling the need to impress or entertain them. He didn't need to lighten the mood or deflect attention. The mood was calm but happy, and Faith's attention was equally on him and their surroundings.

Even cutting through the warehouse district on the way to her house was pleasant. Some of the older buildings had neat architectural features. Interspersed with the corrugated metal warehouses were old brick ones with faded ads painted on the sides.

There was a new coffee shop, Kingman's Cup, half a block from the reclaimed industrial lofts that was giving out free samples of their specialty blends. Faith tried a light roast called Sunvalley Morning that 'has a complex acidity and highlights the original characteristics of the beans.' Xander opted for a smooth dark roast, Midnight Sun, 'with a bitter chocolate undertone'. Neither of the teens could really taste much difference, except that Faith's tasted a bit like grass and Xander's was clearly burnt and tasted nothing like chocolate.

The pair arrived at Faith's doorstep a little later than planned. "I had a great time," she smiled turning to him.

"Yeah, me too," he replied a light blush creeping across his cheeks. "Kinda surprised we didn't run into any vampires."

"I'm glad we didn't," the Slayer leaned toward him. She let out a shaky breath and said, "A romantic stroll was so much better than a quick patrol."

"Yeah, it was." Xander leaned in for the kiss.

Their lips connected; just the barest touch before a momentary parting. Faith gripped the collar of Xander's shirt and brought their lips together again. When he wrapped his hands around her waist the Slayer's eyes fell closed and her lips parted. The pair leaned back against the door. Faith's arms came up around his neck, her fingers twining in his hair. Xander kissed her harder, his fingers biting into her hip. She made a strangled sound and he pulled back.

"Sorry, I," he stammered.

"No, it's okay," she pulled him close again. Before they could resume the kiss the door opened behind her. Faith stumbled slightly, but Xander kept her from falling.

"I'm not interrupting anything?" Giles asked, the arch of his eyebrows clearly indicating that he knew full well he was.

"Um," Xander said articulately. "No?"

"Good," the Watcher smiled. He looked down at Faith, "Did you have a good date?"

The girl nodded mutely.

"Good," Giles stepped aside to let her in. "Would you like a ride home, Xander? It's terribly late."

"Ah," Xander considered his options carefully. "Sure, Giles," He decided it was better to let the librarian vent any anger towards him now rather than wait until they were sparring. "Goodnight, Faith."

"Goodnight, Xan," she smiled at him from behind her Watcher.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Half way to his house in the relative silence of the Citroen Xander cracked. "You don't seem mad at me," the boy said.

"I'm not," Giles confirmed. "You are an honest and caring young man and Faith is a lovely young woman, and you both have relatively good heads on your shoulders. I don't feel I need to say any more than the pair of you already know. You've both watched far more television than I have and know what to do and what not to do." He flicked his eyes to the boy. "You don't need to hear it from me." At Xander's relieved breath, he continued on, "However." He turned to the teen as the car hit a stoplight, "She has a destiny. You're aware of that just as much as I am. You may be an inspiration a, a calming influence on her. But I will not, I repeat _will not_ allow you to become a distraction. Not just for her sake, but for yours as well, am I understood?" Xander nodded eagerly. The light turned green. "Good," Giles said, pulling off.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith heaved a dramatic sigh as she sat on a tall gravestone waiting for the occupant. "C'mon, Stephan, rise and shine. Some of us have a ton of homework waiting."

When a hand touched her shoulder and there came a soft-spoken, "Hey," Faith flipped her assailant over onto the grave.

"Gah! Angel!" she gasped.

"Is this a bad time?" the vampire groaned.

"Are you crazy? You don't just sneak up on people in a graveyard." The Slayer pulled a stake from her jacket and waved it at him, "That is how you get dusted. You wanna be a check mark in the slain column, buster? Make noise when you walk, stomp or yodel or something. Christ, man."

"Sorry, I'll be sure to yodel next time," Angel stood and brushed grass off his pants. "I heard you were on the hunt."

"Just waiting for lazy bones here to claw his way out." She sighed again.

"When you first wake up it's a little disorienting. He'll show," Angel assured her.

"It's weird to think of you going through that." Faith scrunched her nose.

"It's weird to go through. So, uh, you're here alone?" he asked.

"Yeah, just me tonight. Why?" a bit of suspicion slipped into her voice.

"I just thought you'd have somebody with you," the vampire shrugged, "Xander or someone."

"Nah, Giles had some training exercise for him. Xan's really coming along," she smiled and swung her legs, her heels bouncing off the headstone. "So is this a social call?"

"There's nothing huge brewing that I'm aware of if that's what you mean."

"It is," Faith nodded. She stood when a hand punched through the earth. "Finally," she gave an exasperated sigh and gripping his wrist pulled the newly risen demon free. "Alright, sleepy head, let's do this," Faith shoved the vampire away from her and adopted a fighting stance. Stephan came at her with a few wild punches. Faith swatted them aside. "Come on!" she growled loosening a salvo of her own to his ribs. He stumbled back into a large gravestone.

Stephan looked around frantically. "Dude, help me, she's kicking my ass!" he called to Angel.

Angel nodded, "Yeah, she is."

The new vampire grabbed the shovel that was left leaning against the headstone. Faith stalked in, keeping her fists up. Stephan swung the shovel at her in a high arch. The Slayer caught the wooden haft of the makeshift weapon. A hard strike with the heel of her other hand broke it in two. Before she could stake him with it, though, the vampire fell backward into an open grave.

Faith laughed, "You okay?"

Stephan groaned, "Yeah. Who leaves an empty coffin lying around?"

After watching him struggle to climb out of the grave for a few moments Angel asked, "Are you going to finish him or keep messing around?" The older vampire hauled the newbie up by the scruff of his neck and pushed him at the Slayer.

"Yeah, yeah," Faith rammed the shovel handle into Stephan's heart. "Everybody's a critic."

"Looks like you have another one to go after anyway," Angel said as the ashes settled.

"I don't think so," Faith bent down to examine the grass around the grave. "See these tracks? Whoever was buried here didn't rise on their own." She spotted a girl's shoe nearby. "She was dragged. So, probably still dead."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles was sitting at the study table in the library when Faith and Xander walked in. He addressed the empty seat across from him, "W-what I'm proposing is, um... and I-I don't mean to appear indecorous, is, is, um, a-a social engagement, um, a-a date, if you're amenable." The Watcher frowned deeply. "You idiot!"

"Wow," Faith smirked when Giles flinched and turned toward them. "I never realized how much you like that chair."

"I-I-I was just working on..." He stammered before knocking over a pile of books.

"Your pickup lines?" Xander supplied.

"Um, in a manner of speaking, yes," the librarian blushed as he gathered the tomes.

"Then keep it simple," the Slayer offered. "Would you like to grab a coffee? A bite to eat? You doing anything this weekend? Wanna see a move? Go dancing? Any one of these will do."

"Start with coffee," Xander suggested. "Ms. Calendar always has a tall cup of the brew in class, and it's a fairly casual, low commitment offer."

"W-what makes you think that, that…"

Xander sat in the empty chair, "Simple deduction: Ms. Calendar is reasonably dollsome, especially for someone in your age bracket. She already knows that you're a school librarian, so you don't have to worry about how to break that embarrassing news to her."

"And she's the only woman we've actually ever seen speak to you," Faith added.

Giles changed the subject, "So, um, how did things go last night? Did Stephan Korshak show up on schedule?"

"Took his sweet time, actually; but Angel and I took care of him," she nodded.

Xander raised his eyebrows and asked, "Angel?"

"Well, he mostly just stood around looking like Philip Oakey without the eyeliner," Faith sat on the edge of the table.

"Did he keep feeling fascination?" the boy grinned.

"Until the sun went down," she returned.

"I'm not sure if I should be annoyed by your constant antics or impressed that the two of you even know who the Human League are," the Watcher rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let alone any of their lyrics."

"Eighties are making a comeback, Tweed," Faith offered.

"Soon, I'll be able to break out the half-tank and headband," Xander said, wringing his hands eagerly. "Only a matter of time."

"I'm pretty sure that is never going to be cool again," Faith said to him.

"It will at the Roller Rink," Xander said, his grin never leaving.

"True," Faith conceded. "We did find an empty grave."

"Another vampire?"

"Nope. The grave was all dug up, there was even a shovel. Coffin was opened up, not busted out. No _body_ home, though."

Giles ignored the pun. He sat back down, "Grave robbing? That's new. Interesting."

The Xander nodded, "Why does someone want to dig up graves?"

"Well, I'll, uh, collect some theories." Giles began clearing the books from the table. "Uh, it would help if we knew who the body belonged to."

"Meredith Todd," she told him. "Died recently, she was sixteen."

"Drawin' a blank," Xander frowned.

"I'll get Red to look her up," Faith patted his knee.

"I can do a basic search on the computer," Xander stood. "It's not rocket science. For that, you really would need Willow. Ira let us built model rockets in the fourth grade. Hers worked like a charm; parachute brought it safely back to earth and everything. Mine did a Challenger on the launch pad."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow was writing her entry for the science fair when a boy in a Hawaiian shirt came up to her, "Smile!" his camera flashed in her face.

"Hey!" Willow glared at him as he turned away.

"Oh, look at those legs!" the boy groaned. He went chasing after a leggy blonde.

"Perv," the redhead griped.

"Eric, will you knock it off?" a tall boy in a green plaid polo shirt yelled at him. Eric looked back at him clearly upset to have his fun spoiled.

"Hey, Chris!" Willow greeted smiling.

"Hey," the tall boy grabbed a clipboard and began filling out and entry for the science fair.

Willow leaned in to read over his shoulder. When he glanced up at her she blushed and backed off. "Oh, I, I was just wondering what you were gonna do this year," she stammered.

"Why?"

"'Cause every year you win and I place second, so I just thought I'd see what I'm up against," the redhead explained.

"You know what the key is?" Chris asked her. "If Dr. Clark doesn't understand your experiment he gives you higher marks so it looks like he understands your experiment," paused to read her entry. "The Effects of Sub-Violet Light Spectrum Deprivation on the Development of Fruit Flies; that should do the trick."

Cordelia stormed up and took the clipboard out of Chris's hands. She scrawled a brief entry down and stated, "I'm doing this under protest. It is not fair that they're making participation in this year's science fair mandatory. I don't think anyone should have to do anything educational in school if they don't want to."

"The Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable?" Willow read over her shoulder.

"I wanted to do something I could finish in a weekend, alright?" the cheerleader defended her choice. Eric's camera flashed as he snapped a shot of her. "Stop it!" Cordelia snapped. "What are you doing?" Eric's camera flashed again. "We are under florescent light, for God's sake."

"The camera loves you!" Eric crooned.

"I want full veto on all my yearbook candids," she stamped her foot to punctuate the statement.

Eric snapped another picture, "It's for my private collection."

Chris snapped, "Eric! Will you quit it?"

Amy, who had wandered up to the sign-up table during the commotion, grabbed Eric's wrist, "Who all are you taking pictures of?"

"All the pretty girls," he angled around to snap a shot of Amy's face.

"Make sure they sign a consent form. Taking pictures of girls without their permission constitutes sexual harassment. Anyone reports you, you could get suspended or expelled." Amy pulled him closer, "If any of your photos wind up on the net, that's jail time; dissemination of child pornography. You go on the sex offender registry and that follows you for the rest of your life. Gets stapled to every job application you fill out. Your whole life is ruined because one stupid mistake you made at sixteen."

"Come on," he jerked his arm away, "It's not that serious, it's just a little fun."

"Five, ten years ago, sure. Now? Nuh-uh. Wicked serious. Cordy said stop. You didn't. That's harassment right there," Amy stated. "I know you think you're just messing around and you don't _mean_ any harm, but that's not what you're doing. You're making the girls uncomfortable. Ask before you take the picture. You wouldn't treat the guys this way. They'd just deck you for being obnoxious; which you are."

"Sorry," he said glumly.

"Just ask first, okay?" she gave him a brief smile and grabbed a clipboard to fill out her science fair entry. "Wills, are you headed to the library?"

"Yeah," the redhead responded. "See you later, Chris. Thanks for the tip."

"Later," Chris nodded to her.

Cordelia watched the pair trot off to the library.

Eric raised his eyebrows at her, "So…" he flicked his eyes to his camera and back to her.

The cheerleader snorted in disgust and stormed off.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander was sitting in front of the PC when Amy and Willow arrived. He read the memorial page on facebook aloud. "Meredith Todd died in a car accident last week, with two other girls. They were on the Fondren High Pep Squad, on the way to a game."

"You know what this means?" Faith asked.

"That Fondren might actually beat Sunnydale in the cross-town body count competition this year?" the dark-haired boy quipped.

"She wasn't killed by vampires," the Slayer said. "Somebody did dig up her corpse."

"Eww!" Cordelia scrunched her nose as she walked in. "Why is it that every time I come in to talk to you people you're having a conversation with the word 'corpse' in it?"

"Sorry, Queen C," Faith shrugged. "We should use a code word."

"Anyway, sorry to interrupt your little detective playgroup, but I need to ask Willow if she'll help me with my science fair project," the cheerleader explained her presence in the library.

"It's a fruit," Willow said distractedly as she read over Xander's shoulder. "Scoot over," she told the boy. "I can get the details from coroner's office. I wanna make sure it was the crash that, you know."

Cordelia sighed, "I would've asked Chris to help me, but then that would've brought back too many memories of Daryl."

"Here we go!" the hacker chipped in success.

"Of course I have learned to deal with my pain," the cheerleader continued.

"Official cause?" Faith asked.

"Broken neck," Willow returned.

"Actual cause?" Amy asked.

"Broken neck," Willow repeated.

"Hello! Can we deal with my pain, please?" Cordelia whined.

Giles came out of his office, "There, there." He patted the girl on the shoulder awkwardly and continued up into the stacks, not breaking stride.

"Okay, so we got a body snatcher. What does that mean?" Xander asked.

"Uh, I really don't think we should be having this, um, this conversation in front of -ah- Miss Chase," Giles gave the boy a stern look.

"No, you shouldn't," Cordelia agreed. "But if you mean 'cuz of vampires and junk, I already know about them."

"H-how?" the Watcher asked.

"So much duh," the cheerleader rolled her eyes. "I spend a lot of time checking my reflection. Maintaining this quality of appearance takes a lot of work, you know. So, I've noticed some people don't have reflections. Freaked me out at first, I thought I was going crazy. That and people whose funerals I attended showing up at the Bronze."

"Okay, Cor, conversation later. I'm gonna need names," the Slayer told her. Faith turned to the librarian, "Giles, theories on our body snatcher?"

"Demons who eat the flesh of the dead to absorb their souls, or it could, obviously, be a, a voodoo practitioner," the Watcher informed them.

"You mean making a zombie?" Willow asked looking a bit green.

"Uh, zombies, more likely. For most traditional purposes a voodoo priest would require more than one," he explained.

"So, we should see if the other girls from the accident are AWOL, too," Faith grinned. "We can figure out what this creep has in mind if we know whether or not he's dealing in volume."

"So, grave robbing tonight?" Xander joked.

"Oh, boy! A field trip," Willow bounced in her seat.

"To a cemetery," Amy groaned, "Last time was so boring."

"We did break up that séance," Giles reminded her.

"It was three Goths with an Ouija board. It hardly counts," she shot back. She grinned suddenly, "We should get Angel to help!"

"Is he involved in your weirdness?" Cordelia asked.

"Kinda," Faith admitted. "He deals with a lot of vampire stuff."

"Can you give me his number?" the cheerleader asked.

"No, I don't actually have it, come to think of it," the Slayer gave a half shrug.

"No Angel then. So, we're all set. Say, nineish? BYO shovel?" Xander grinned.

Amy pouted until Willow piped up with, "And I'll pack some food. Who else likes those little, powdered donuts?"

"Me!" Amy and Xander cheered in unison.

"Cordelia?" the hacker asked.

"Darn, I have cheerleader practice tonight," she gave a dramatic sigh. "Boy, I wish I knew you were gonna be digging up dead people –and without the hunky Van Helsing type, to boot – sooner or I would've canceled."

"Now you're just abusing sarcasm," Amy smirked.

"Alright, but if you come across the army of zombies, can you text us before they eat your flesh?" Xander asked her.

Cordelia huffed. "So, Willow, will you help me?"

"Uh, it's a fruit, I don't know what else you need," the redhead looked up from the computer.

"I know that. I just need some science-y books on it, and maybe some stuff about why it's treated like a vegetable."

"Oh, okay," Willow opened the electronic card catalog, "Ooh, there's a Supreme Court case from 1893 that rules it a vegetable! Neat-o."

"Zucchini is a fruit, too," Amy told the cheerleader.

As they retreated into the stacks Giles leaned over to Xander, "Zombies don't eat the flesh of the living."

"Yeah, I know that," the teen grinned. "But did you see the look on her face?"

"Hey, Xan?" Faith asked as she closed the glass door that separated the stacks from the front. "Who's Daryl? Cordelia seemed almost genuine in her melodramatic pain."

"Daryl Epps. Chris' older brother. He was a big football star. All-State last year. He was a running back. All of the girls were crazy for him."

"And he broke Queen C's heart?" the Slayer asked, adding sarcastically, "Thus possibly proving its existence."

"Big time," Xander nodded. "He died in a fall. Rock climbing or something?" the teen sighed. "His family took it real hard. Ever since then Chris has been quiet; kinda in his own world. Their mother doesn't even leave the house." He shook his head sadly before returning to his task.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The three girls sat leaning against a wide headstone as Giles and Xander dug up a grave. Faith munched on a bag of mini donuts while Amy taught Willow how to conjure a tiny light.

"Y'know, this might go a lot faster if you femmes actually picked up a shovel, too," Xander griped.

"Here, here," Giles agreed stretching his back.

"There's only room in there for two," Faith pointed out. "Besides, your turn's almost up."

The boys returned to their digging. Finally, the soft sounds of dirt and rock scrapping against metal gave way to a wooden thud. "I think we're there," Giles announced.

The girls stood and moved over to peer into the grave. Willow asked, "By the way, are we hoping to find a body, or no body?"

"Call me an optimist, but I'm hoping to find a fortune in gold doubloons," Xander grinned at her.

"Um, a body would mean flesh-eating demon, no body would point towards the, uh, army of zombies thing," Giles shrugged at her. "Take your pick, really. Right, then, uh..." he trailed off gesturing at Xander to open the casket.

"You're closer," the teen shot back.

"Move," Faith hopped into the grave. She opened the casket, "Well, that settles that."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Cordelia Chase sauntered out of the high school and into the parking lot towards her cerulean blue 2010 Toyota MR2. It wasn't the greatest car ever, but it was hers and it was reliable. And she was the first girl in her class to get a car. Cordelia only had her learner's permit and wasn't supposed to drive unsupervised, but her parents had let her drive to school today so they could have a date night. She couldn't help but smile as she approached it, discussing the other cheerleaders' performance at practice. "If we don't get this down by tomorrow, no one's gonna be led by our cheers."

"I know," the captain, Joy, said with a sigh as she and Amber peeled off to ride home with Amber's mom. "See ya later."

The parking lot was deserted, and after the other car left, a little creepy. The wind rattled the chain link fence. Cordelia glanced around nervously. She felt like she was being watched. "Hello?" the cheerleader called into the darkness. She dug in her backpack for her keys as she began to trot to her car. "If this is some kind of joke…" she trailed off into nervous laughter as she fumbled with her keys.

The keys slipped out of her hand and bounced underneath her car. Even realizing what a horror movie cliché it was, Cordelia dropped down beside the car and reached under it for her keys. On the other side, she spotted a pair of black men's dress shoes approaching.

Cordelia abandoned her keys and darted around the corner of the school. The cheerleader looked around frantically but there were no doors on this side of the building. There were, however, two dumpsters. Wrinkling her nose, Cordelia lifted the lid of one and levered herself inside. The smell nearly made her vomit. It was a combination of rotting meat, an oily fishy smell, and that mixed garbage funk.

She held her breath and listened; the soft tap of footsteps passed by her hiding spot. Cordelia waited another minute before lifting the dumpster lid just enough to peer out. Seeing nothing she opened it further and looked around. Satisfied that whoever it was, was gone she turned and leaned the lid against the wall. Turning back to hop out Cordelia let out a startled yelp and fell backward in the dumpster.

"Cordelia," Angel smirked. "This is the last place I expected you to hang out."

Blushing, the cheerleader stood back up. With her hand to her chest, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, God! God, it's you." After a pause, she asked, "Why were you following me?"

"I wasn't sure it was you at first. I'm looking for Faith," He answered.

"Faith? Well, she's, uh... big shock, she's at a graveyard. I don't know which one," Cordelia gave a dismissive shrug. "You are in luck, however. It just so happens that _my_ night is free." She offered him her hand and took a step, "Ugh, hold on, my skirt is caught." The cheerleader reached behind her and pulled her skirt free. "There," she brought her hand forward holding up what had caught her. At the sight of the severed hand, Cordelia let out a shriek and dropped it.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"So, both coffins are empty. That makes three girls signed up for the army of zombies," Xander exposited as the group entered the library.

"Is it an army if you just have three?" Willow asked.

"Zombie pep squad, then," Amy shrugged.

Angel stood up from the study table, Cordelia clinging to his arm. "You're back," He smiled at Faith. "I was worried you'd head home after your grave robbing."

"Angel," the Slayer nodded at him.

Xander shot the undead man a brief glare.

"Xander," the other offered.

"Angel," the boy returned somewhat coldly.

"As long as you're here," Giles interrupted the exchange, "perhaps you could be of some help. Hmm?" he turned to Xander, "Hmm?"

"Somebody's been digging up the bodies of dead girls," the boy informed the vampire.

"I know," Angel said somberly. "We found some of them."

"You mean, like, two of the three?" Amy asked.

"I mean, like, some of them. Like parts," he explained.

Cordelia finally spoke, rambling in near hysteria, "It was horrible. Angel saved me from an arm. God, there were so many parts, they were everywhere. Why are these terrible things happening to me?"

"Karma?" Xander asked.

The cheerleader glared at him.

"So much for our zombie theory," Willow sighed and headed to the computer.

"So much for all our theories," Giles began toward the stacks.

"I don't get it," the Slayer pondered. "Why go to all the trouble to dig up three girls only to chop them up and throw them away? It doesn't make any sense."

"Especially from a time management standpoint," Amy added.

"Well," Angel offered, "what I saw didn't add up to three whole girls. I think they kept some parts."

"Could this get yuckier?" the witch asked.

"They probably kept the other parts to eat," Willow said from the computer.

"Ask a stupid question…" Amy groused.

"Why dispose of the remains five miles from the cemetery at a school, of all places?" Giles asked from the top of the stairs.

"Maybe whoever did it had some business in the neighborhood," Xander answered. "Like, say, classes?"

"This was no hatchet job," Angel countered. "Whoever made those incisions really knew what they were doing."

Giles nodded, "Yes, really. What student here is gonna be that well versed in physiology?"

"Well," Willow shot back, "I can think of five or six guys in the science club. And me."

"So, Will, come clean. Promise to never do it again and we'll call it a night," Xander joked. When no one responded he said, "Note to self: accusing Willow of horrific crimes is no longer funny. Switch to Amy."

Amy elbowed him.

"Willow, why don't you get these guys' locker numbers so we can do some checking?" Faith asked. She turned to Giles, "You get with Angel on a list of parts missing. See if that narrows it down."

"No," Cordelia whined. "I have to go home now. I have to take a bath and burn my clothes."

"You have to go? Aw, too bad," Xander said in mock disappointment. "Keep in touch. Buh-bye."

"I don't wanna go alone. I'm still fragile," she said shakily. She turned to Angel, "Can you take me?"

Faith glanced at Angel who stood like a deer caught in headlights. "After he talks with Giles. Besides, you should shower and change before you get in your car. You smell like death and a dock fire."

"Ew," the cheerleader scrunched her nose.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"You understand, in my capacity as a school official, this search is completely unauthorized, and I, I cannot condone this," Giles said taking a number and combination from Faith.

"Duly noted," the Slayer waved at the wet haired Cordelia as she left, once again attached to Angel's arm.

"I'll bring these back tomorrow," she indicated the borrowed sweat pants and tee shirt.

"Cool," Faith nodded and turned to the locker in front of her.

"Okay, Eric. Let's see what's on your annoying little mind," Amy skipped the combo and opened the locker with a spell.

Giles gave her a disapproving look, "Magic isn't a toy."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

His frown deepened, "You're setting a bad example for Willow."

Amy glared at him for a moment then said, "Yeah, okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"Nothing in here but back issues of Scientific American," the hacker in question called from a few lockers down. "Ooh, I haven't read this one!" she began reading; the group allowed the distraction.

"Nothing remarkable here, either," Giles closed the locker.

"Guys!" Xander called them over. He rattled off the titles of the books, "Grey's Anatomy, Mortician's Desk Reference, Robicheaux's Guide to Muscles and Tendons. And this," he handed Giles a newspaper clipping about the three dead cheerleaders.

"This is Chris Epps' locker," Willow gasped.

"I think it's fair to say he's involved," Giles grimaced.

"He's into corpses alright, but we still don't know why." Xander returned the clipping and shut the locker.

"Yes, we do," Amy led them over to Eric's locker. On the door was a collage of a woman made from parts of various pictures.

"Why would anybody wanna make a girl?" Willow murmured.

"You mean when there are so many pre-made ones just lying around? The things we do for love," Xander quipped.

"Love has nothing to do with this," Amy growled.

"Maybe not, but I'll tell you this: people don't usually fall in love with what's right in front of them," Xander explained. "People want the dream, what they can't have; the more unattainable, the more attractive."

"And for Eric, the unattainable would include everyone. That's alive," Amy stated. "He's sick enough to do something like this, but what about Chris? I always thought he seems like a human person."

"That thing with his brother was really hard on him," Xander said.

"And he talked about death a lot. Maybe he just wanted to get one-up on it," Willow added.

"But it's not doable," Faith said. "I mean, making someone from scraps, actually making them live. Right?"

"If it is, my science project's definitely coming in second this year," Willow tried to lighten the mood.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The next morning, Giles was loitering near the computer lab waiting for Ms. Calendar to arrive while Faith and the others were scouring the halls for Chris and Eric. Ms. Calendar finally showed up, with a tall cup of coffee from the Espresso Pump in hand. She stopped to talk to a student on her way. Giles began to fidget with his glasses.

"Good morning, Rupert," the computer teacher said as she strolled past him.

"Uh, Ms. Calendar?" he called after her.

She looked back at him, but kept walking, "Oh, no, please call me Jenny. Ms. Calendar's my father."

Giles started after her, "Jenny, then." He tried again, "You know, uh, Jenny, um..." but trailed off.

"Hmm?" she asked sipping her coffee.

"Would it a-appear indecorous..." He stuttered. "Uh, no, not in-in-indecorous, um..."

"Yeah?" Ms. Calendar pressed.

Giles exhaled. "Well, um... would you care to get a coffee sometime?"

"Sure," she smiled up at him. "We could try that new place on Birch Avenue - Kingman's Cup – after the game."

"Game? Oh, uh, you're going to the football game?" Giles asked, delighted.

"No, football is in the fall. I mean the soccer game," she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yes, of course, _soccer._ That is what I meant," he gave her a rueful smile.

"You're going, too, right?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"Oh, of course," the librarian assured her, "Wouldn't miss it."

"So, we should just go together! Look, I could pick you up after school, and we'll grab a bite to eat on the way if you like. How do you feel about Mexican?"

Giles nodded, "Sounds lovely."

"Good! Okay! I have to set up the lab now. See you, later," she swept off into her classroom.

"See you tonight, then," Giles smiled and started down the hall. "That went rather well."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander was jealous. He'd never been jealous of a sandwich before. It was a pressed Italian sandwich on ciabatta, with salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, and provolone. It was the center of Faith's world just then, and Xander was man enough to admit that he was jealous; of her because the sandwich looked damn good and of it, because of the little noises of pleasure it elicited from his girlfriend.

"I'm thinking about taking culinary next year," the boy announced.

"Guys that can cook are hot," Faith said before taking a swig of her pomegranate juice and returning her attention to the sandwich.

Amy and Willow nodded their agreement. "I still don't get how Chris could do it. I mean, arresting the cell deterioration is one thing, but…" Willow trailed off as she absently munched a carrot stick and flipped through the science text propped on her knees. "Maybe an electrical current combined with an adrenaline boost."

Finally, Faith finished her sandwich. "So, did Chris and Eric show up at all?"

"No," Amy informed her. "Neither of them came to school today."

"That's no coincidence," Xander said biting into his slab of pepperoni 'pizza.' "Bleh. This crust is worse. How could it get more bland?"

"I know," Amy griped. "It's chewy and rock hard at the same time. And both tastes gross and lacks any flavor! It's a paradox."

"Maybe they finished their project?" Willow asked looking up finally. "What if it worked? What, what if that poor girl is walking around?"

"Poor girls, technically," Xander supplied.

"What could she be thinking?" Faith wondered.

"And what are they gonna do with her?" Amy shuddered.

"I don't think we need to worry about that just yet," Giles reassured the teens as he came out of his office. "Angel found three heads in the dumpster."

"They only had three girls," the Slayer pointed out.

"Precisely," the Watcher smiled at her.

"So, they don't have the whole, uh, package?" Willow asked.

"Heads must be no good," Xander postulated. "Huh. I found 'em attractive enough." He shrugged at the girls' disapproving looks, "Well, obviously I'm not as sick as Chris and Eric."

"From the various, ah, bits missing from the dumpster I would say they're one step short of completing their masterpiece," Giles told them.

Amy pushed her plate away.

"I'm sorry to have put you off your lunch," the librarian apologized.

"Huh? Oh, no it's not that. This, pizza, I guess, is…"

"Simultaneously the worst and most boring thing I have ever put in my mouth, and I once ate a slug on a dare," Xander explained for her.

Giles grimaced.

Willow just waved a carrot stick at them on her way to the computer, "I'll check the obits for a likely candidate."

"They seem kinda picky for guys who had three heads, to begin with," Xander pointed out.

"Formaldehyde," the hacker said absently.

"Formaldehyde?" Giles repeated. His eyes went wide with realization. "Of course, it accelerates neural decay in the brain cells."

"After a couple days they're useless. They're gonna need something really fresh," Willow declared.

"How fresh?" the Slayer asked not liking where this was leading.

"As fresh as possible," Willow answered. She swallowed and asked, "Faith, you don't think that they would..."

"I think anybody who cuts dead girls into little pieces does not get the benefit of any doubt. I wanna end this thing now," Faith stood.

"I second that," Giles agreed. Then he remembered, "Oh! I'm supposed to be meeting Jenny here after school; we're attending the game together."

"Okay, fine," Faith thought a moment. "Willow and I will go to Chris', Amy and Xander to Eric's. We can meet up at the game after. Everyone got their walkie?"

Everyone nodded.

"Giles tell the office we all went home sick, and we think it was the pizza," Xander patted him on the shoulder as the four teens left the library.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Chris' house was a square, cream-colored Bungalow with a stained glass in the front door. The woman who answered said door was the very picture of the depressed housewife. Her short hair was frazzled and she was still in her flannel nightshirt and slippers. Her skin was red and blotchy, and there were heavy bags under her eyes. The air in the house smelled of cigarette smoke, booze, and decay.

It was her eyes more than anything else that stopped Faith in her tracks. The Slayer had seen those eyes before. Glassy and lifeless, unable to focus on what was right in front of was nearly three thousand miles away herself…

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

 _It was nearly six months ago. Faith had stood, staring at the crumpled form of her mother but not quite sure what had happened. Her mother had been yelling about something – the letter from her father – and grabbed a thin, hot pink belt with hearts cut out of it. Faith had put her hands up to protect her face, but her arms were getting tired and the little metal buckle hurt. It had cracked into the back of her head and then the next thing she knew, she was standing over her mother watching a bruise form on the side of her face. Faith had left before she regained consciousness._

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow tugged the Slayer's arm to get her to follow them into the house. She continued to babble unsure of what else to do, "I kinda need to talk to him about the science fair. Uh, do you know if he's home?" She paused to give the woman time to answer. Faith managed to shut the door behind them. "So, is he home?"

"Westbury game," the woman indicated the football game playing on the television. "November 17, Daryl's freshman year. He rushed 185 yards that night. Four TD's. He was MVP, and he made All-City that season."

"Yeah, that was a great one," Willow agreed awkwardly. "Um, but is Chris home?"

"I dunno. Is today a school day?" she asked almost dazed. Suddenly the light of life shone in her eyes, she smiled and cried out, "Oh, watch! Watch this move!" The girls watched. "Daryl takes a kickoff, he sheds one, two, three defenders, and he breaks into the open field for a ninety-five-yard touchdown!" She laughed quietly to herself and took a drag off her cigarette. "He woulda been nineteen next week."

Faith began looking around and quickly spotted the basement door with its 'Keep Out' and 'No Admittance' signs. "You wanna keep Mrs. Epps company or head into the creepy basement with me?"

The pair looked at the woman, who was staring at the screen like a watery-eyed zombie, fully absorbed in the game.

"Creepy basement!" Willow decided. The girls descended quietly into the darkened partially finished basement. Faith checked the shelves while Willow searched the table in the middle of the room. The Slayer moved on to a small curtained off area. After finding pictures of herself and Faith, Willow picked up an anatomical chart to view it in the light streaming in from the small window. Cordelia's head was pasted on it. The hacker pulled out her walkie-talkie, "They're targeting Cordelia!"

Faith pulled back the curtain just as she heard the front door open. She almost missed him as she turned to tell Willow to leave out the window, "Red, window, now!" She spun around and backhanded the large gray skinned man. He was thickly built and strong. The blow did not stagger him back as much as she would have liked. It did, however, give her the time to run over and boost the redhead up so she could climb out.

Faith turned her attention to the zombie.

"You shouldn't be here," he growled.

"News flash, ugly, neither should you," she growled back.

The zombie flipped the table from between them and advanced on her. Faith shot out a simple front kick to his gut. The zombie grunted and stumbled back but seemed none the worse for wear. The Slayer repeated the move on his next approach. The zombie roared and lunged at her. Faith twisted to the side and brought her elbow down on the back of his neck as he passed her. He slammed into the cement wall hard enough to crack it.

"No, don't hurt him!" Chris called running down the stairs.

Faith grimaced. She knew the blow to the zombie's neck had severed his spine. Flowering the wall with his face was not good news for his brain. "It's over, Chris," the Slayer told him. "Daryl's gone."

"No!" he rushed over to his brother's body. "I can fix this. I brought him back once, I can do it again."

"No," Faith said. "His ticket has been punched. Elvis has left the building. Count yourself lucky that neither he nor Eric murdered anyone."

Chris sobbed into Daryl's still shoulder.

"Chris," the Slayer knelt and put a hand on the boy's back. "Trust me, it's better this way. You can give the body life, but once the soul leaves… It's not really them. He was willing to kill Cordelia. You know Daryl would never do that. You _know_ it wasn't really him."

Chris just nodded and continued to sob, finally able to mourn his older brother.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander stood outside the girl's locker room with his arms folded across his chest. Eric hadn't been at home. When Willow had radioed, the two teens decided to bodyguard the cheerleader. Cordelia was annoying but she didn't deserve to be decapitated.

Finally, Xander heard the soft tap of a lone pair of sneakers making their way down the hall. Eric looked shocked when he saw the boy. "Hey, Eric," Xander nodded to him. "Nice night. Enjoying the game?"

"Y-yeah," Eric stammered.

"Good. Where's the lab at, Eric?" Xander asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the boy started to back away.

Xander pushed himself off the wall. "The lab where you and Chris were building Daryl a Frankenstein bride," Xander clarified. "Where is it? It's not at your place. It's not at Chris'."

"You got nothing on me man," Eric turned to run but Xander reached out and grabbed him.

He lifted the smaller boy off the ground by his lapels, "Last chance. Where is the lab?"

"Ow. Okay, okay!" Eric cried out. "It's in the old science lab."

Xander dropped him as Cordelia, two other cheerleaders and Amy came out of the locker room, "Really? The science lab? How unoriginal is that? Also, I can't take you seriously in that shirt."

Eric looked sheepish.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The Citroen rumbled into the garage. Giles was finally home. Faith stretched on the couch and went to greet him in the hallway that led from the garage to the master bedroom. The Slayer grinned at him, "So, how'd it go?"

Giles smiled to himself but said nothing as he passed the utility room.

"Come on, you gotta give me something," the girl pleaded.

Giles just closed his door slowly.

"She kissed you!" Faith shouted, laughing to herself as she made her way to her bedroom.


	10. Chapter 10: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewi

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

10\. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The lights were off, and the room was illuminated by the flickering glow of six tall, red candles. The candles formed a circle around the two girls. Between them, a pair of unlit white candles sat bound together by a red ribbon. Basil, cedar chips, lavender, hibiscus, and rose petals were smoldering in a shallow ceramic bowl off to one side.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Willow asked nervously, pulling her shirt off.

"Yeah," Amy replied, not looking at her disrobing friend. "It's just a variation on a confidence boosting spell. I use that all the time with no problems. This really isn't any more complicated."

"But aren't we, like, subverting their will, or something?" the redhead asked.

"What? No, the wording is very specific. Only people who could be attracted to you can be affected. And then it only makes them notice you more, or gives them the boost in confidence necessary to talk to you."

"I find it hard to believe anyone needs more confidence to talk to me," Willow snorted derisively.

"You'd be surprised," Amy smiled at her. "I needed it to approach you, Xander, and Jesse the first time I talked to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Willow. You're so smart and that can be super intimidating," the witch told her as she poured vanilla extract into the bowl. Using a bamboo-handled paintbrush, she mixed the ash into the oil. "This will tickle," Amy warned. The witch lightly brushed symbols onto her friend's skin – below her navel, on her solar plexus, and over her heart. Amy began chanting, "Diana, goddess of love and the hunt, I pray to thee." She lit the white candles and continued, "With this candle let its light illuminate the path of love. Let many heads turn her way. If there be a spark in thee for one as she let it now inflame your heart. Come hither, Willow's lover."

Willow sat in the center of the circle holding the bound candles. She chanted, "True love's face I have yet to see. I know not what your name may be. But soon your heart will beat for me. Come hither my love."

"With the light of the flame light your desire. Diana, bring about this love and bless it," Amy called. "So mote it be."

Energy swirled around the pair, and when Willow blew to the white candles the red ones went out as well. "So mote it be," Willow echoed in the darkness.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy had insisted on picking out Willow's outfit. A white oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows was teamed with a charcoal skirt that was just shy of knee length and sheer stockings. Amy allowed her friend to wear a sensible pair of flats that matched the skirt. The blouse threatened to show off the redhead's cleavage even with all of the buttons done up.

"Hey, Willow!" a boy called to her in the hall.

"Love that outfit," a cheerleader told her as a gaggle of them passed her in the hall.

"You smell nice," a guy from the chess club whispered to her as she got her books out of her locker.

Willow smiled and was about to head to her first class when Giles approached her. "Willow, I'm glad I caught you," the librarian smiled at her. He leaned casually against the locker next to hers. "I was wondering if you'd help with a research project after school today."

"Yeah, sure." the redhead smiled back. "Oh, but I can only stay until four. My dad's making lasagna tonight." She paused and then hurriedly explained, "He instituted a weekly family night, but it floats around due to scheduling conflicts. So he lets me know when it is by announcing what's for dinner."

Giles nodded at her. "You are adorable when you babble." He pushed off the locker and sauntered down the hall. Halfway to the library, the Watcher furrowed his brow. He shook his head as if to clear it and continued on his way.

Willow thought nothing of his odd comment as she walked to class. She was far more focused on the sheer number of people looking at her. The hacker wondered how much of it was the outfit and how much the spell. Her friends had already taken their seats when she arrived.

"Maybe I should go home and change," Willow said to Amy. Most of the boys in class were at least glancing at her. A few were outright staring. Wendell would glance at her then look away and blush.

"I could help you pick something out," Faith suggested. "I have a few tops that would fit you."

"Um, no. I meant something _less_ revealing," the hacker clarified.

"No, don't do that. You look great, Red," the Slayer leaned closer to her. "And you smell like vanilla."

"Alright, settle down," Mr. Whitmore called to the students. "We're starting first aid today. Any student that brings in ten dollars and passes the test at the end of the unit will receive CPR certification."

As they carried on with the lesson, Willow pushed thoughts of clothing and spells to the back of her mind.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Later, Willow found Giles leaning next to her locker during the passing period. "Is there something you need?" she asked him.

"Need? No. Want perhaps," he smirked at her.

"W, well what did you want?"

"You should dress like that more often," Giles said, and languidly pushed himself off the locker. "You look rather fetching," he told her as he strolled away.

Willow stared at him, confusion evident on her face. "What?" The hacker would have pondered the weirdness of Giles' compliment further but she was quickly distracted.

"Hey, Willow! Can I carry your books?" Owen Thurman approached her.

"Get lost, drama dweeb," a member of the football team grabbed him by his black sweater and pulled him back.

"You get lost," Sheila Martini stepped up, "You're not nerd girl's type, jock boy."

"And you think you are, dike?"

Sheila punched the guy across the jaw, "Screw you!" When the jock went down like a sack of potatoes Sheila and her friends began kicking him. Willow ran to the office. By the time security arrived the fight had broken up. Sheila got a three-day suspension, and the jock was sent home to lick his wounds.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"I was terrified," Willow told her friends as they walked to third period. Faith rubbed her back soothingly with one hand. "Sheila is the baddest girl in school. She's smoked since the fifth grade. I was a lookout for her, once. And she dropped John Walker with one punch."

"Did that impress you?" the Slayer asked.

"Scared me, more like," Willow shook her head. "They swarmed him like a pack of wild animals."

"Hey, Willow," a lanky boy with short dark hair fell into step beside her.

Faith glared at the interloper.

"If you want class notes," Xander moved up and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, "It'll cost you."

Willow gave him a sharp look.

"Not cash," he clarified. "A favor for a favor."

"I don't need Willows notes, Harris," the boy said. "I was, uh, just wondering if you were free this afternoon. You know, get like a coffee or something."

"I can't today," Willow informed him. "I'm helping Mr. Giles in the library until four, then I have to head home. But maybe Friday?"

"Okay, that'd be great!" All smiles, the boy parted ways to get to his next class.

"I don't know what you see in him," Faith huffed.

"Michael's a nice guy. Quiet, smart…" Willow listed off.

"A dork," another boy approached them.

Faith growled.

Xander gave her a concerned look, then asked, "Don't you have a vending machine to cuff yourself to, Billy?"

"I was protesting the lack of vegan options," Billy snarled. "I thought Willow might wanna join me for lunch."

"Oh, um, no thank you," Willow stammered. "I, uh, I'm eating with my friends today."

"What about tomorrow?" he persisted.

"Uh, we'll just have to wait and see," Willow veered into the girls' bathroom. It was not the safe haven she thought it to be, however. Cordelia Chase and her usual entourage were hogging all of the mirrors. Willow managed to find a small gap between Aura and Aphrodesia.

"Wow, Willow," Harmony said, "You don't look like a lawn gnome, today."

"Did mommy finally let you dress yourself?" Cordelia asked.

"I do dress myself!" Willow said indignantly. "Amy put this together for me."

"Then you should let her plan all your outfits," Gwen Ditchik, a bleach blond with a tendency to wear designer knockoffs and miniskirts, told her.

"Amber was going on and on about how cute your outfit is today," Aura said. "It's not really that rave-worthy, but I guess on you, it _is_ a huge improvement."

Aphrodesia nodded, "You need to purge the Sesame Street chic from your wardrobe, girl."

Willow nodded mutely as the girls exited the bathroom like a line of models off to the runway.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles was staring at her from behind the checkout counter as the teens ate lunch in the library. Faith sat between her and Xander with Amy across from them. "I'm really uncomfortable with all the attention," Willow confessed. "Percy West hit on me in computer science."

Faith stole one of Willow's carrot sticks. "Isn't he on the basketball team?"

"Yeah; he normally doesn't know I exist," Willow replied, swatting Faith's hand as the Slayer tried to take a smoked cheddar pinwheel. Faith pouted at her. "You have your own lunch," Willow scolded.

"So," Faith returned. "You want to try some?" she offered Willow a bite of her vegetarian frittata.

The hacker accepted, "Mmm, what's in that? It's really good."

"Spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and sundried tomatoes," Giles said coming out of his office. "The real trick is the ratio of dairy to eggs: a half cup per dozen. Whole milk in this case, but I use sour cream for the Southwest style one Faith turned me on to."

"Oooh, yes, we should have you over for that sometime," Faith nodded. "Red onion, trio of bell peppers, jalapenos, and black beans, topped with avocado and Pico de Gallo."

"That does sound good," Willow agreed, "but I'm not a huge fan of jalapenos."

"Just jalapenos, or spicy food in general?" Giles asked as he pushed a stray lock of hair behind Willow's ear.

"Spicy food in general, I guess. I do like the occasional spicy tuna roll, but that's about it," Willow leaned away from him as she spoke, and thus closer to Faith.

Faith smiled, "I guess we could skip the jalapenos then. You wanna come over on Friday?"

"Uh, sure. I think I'm free then," the redhead pursed her lips in thought.

"Michael, coffee," Amy reminded her.

"Right," Willow smacked herself in the forehead, "How about Saturday? We could turn it into a study session."

"Sounds great, Red," the Slayer reached over and untucked the strand of hair from Willow's ear. She glanced up at Giles. "Don't you have books to shelve?"

The librarian huffed and wandered back to his office.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles shook his head. Willow looked quite fetching in her new ensemble, but it had been highly inappropriate of him to comment. The librarian shook his head again. He needed to focus. Something was wrong. He just couldn't think straight to figure out what. Willow could help him after school let out.

Willow, in her oxford shirt and dark gray skirt, looked less like a student and more like a young teacher; or a secretary. Or, better yet, a young, naive research assistant. Giles smiled as he imagined how the afternoon would go if she were a little older. _Well, she is mature for her age…_

Giles shook his head. That was the problem. He couldn't focus because he kept thinking about Willow. This couldn't wait until after school; especially if he wasn't the only one affected. Giles closed his eyes. He valiantly pushed away any thoughts of Willow. He took a deep breath: dusty books, stale coffee, various herbs, a floral scent, and vanilla. Willow had smelled of vanilla today.

His second deep breath was filled with ginger, rosemary, nutmeg, sandalwood, and cedar. "Jenny."

"Right in one," the woman in question replied.

"I'm glad you're here," he told her. Giles turned abruptly and headed into the stacks. "I need you to start looking at spells that modify behavior, and, and influence thinking." He grabbed every book he thought would be useful to their search. Once his arms were loaded he retreated to the book cage and locked himself in. "Take these," Giles tossed the keys out to Jenny.

"You gonna tell me what's going on?" she asked as she picked the keys up off the floor.

"I'm in love with Willow."

"What?"

"I am well aware that that is deplorable. Also, I did not feel this way yesterday. I firmly believe that magic is involved. A person under a-a love spell is-is deadly. They lose all capacity for reason." Giles leaned his head against the cage. "Please help me, Jenny."

"Right," she tucked the keys into her pocket. "So, I'll run to my car and grab an herbal tea mix for you. It should help fight off any toxins, or attack on your aura. Then I'll start on a spell to reverse or break a love spell. Probably do a de-lusting spell while I'm at it."

Giles nodded his agreement and began his own research. "Thank you."

She returned ten minutes later with an armload of dry herbs in zip-lock bags. "You have candles, I hope."

"Yes, here," he indicated a box next to the one he was sitting on. "What color?"

"Three each: white, black and yellow. Do you have any raven or crow feathers?" she asked as she started hot water in the coffee pot.

"No, unfortunately; we could send Faith for them later. What are you doing?" he stared at her.

"Brewing tea," she raised her eyebrows at him.

"There is a teapot in my office. And a hot plate," he told her. "If you're going to make tea, make it right."

"Snobby," Jenny called him.

"About my tea, absolutely," Giles admitted. "What, what are you putting in it?"

"Basil, red clover, nettles, milk thistle, sage, yarrow, and peppermint leaves," the techno-Wiccan rattled off.

"You may want to add rosemary, ginkgo, and mugwort as well," the Watcher suggested. "For a clear mind."

"You're having trouble focusing?"

"Quite a lot actually," he agreed.

"I'll brew you two separate teas then: basil, peppermint leaves, rosemary, ginkgo and mugwort for focus; the rest for cleansing."

Nodding Giles set his book down. "I really appreciate you being so understanding about this."

"Hand me the candles," she said as she stepped over to the book cage. "I really like you, Rupert. I don't want a little black magic to come between us."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

The four teens entered the library. After checking to be sure they were not followed Faith pushed the card catalogue in front of the door. "We have a problem," Willow said at the same time Xander asked, "Why is Giles locked in the cage?"

"Is your problem people being inappropriately attracted to Miss Rosenberg?" Jenny asked.

"Yes," Willow stalked over to the study table and slumped down into a chair. "It's horrible."

"That's why the cage," the computer teacher explained. "Any ideas on what caused this?"

"Yeah," Amy said reluctantly. "We, uh, I did a spell to get people to notice Willow more, so she could get a date."

"That was very foolish," Jenny told her.

"We need to reverse the spell," Faith chimed in sitting on the table next to Willow. "All these jerks keep macking on poor Red. I may end up actually having to beat them off with a stick. But our girl doesn't care for the violence." She ran her hand up and down Willow's arm.

"Uh, hey Faith, you, uh maybe wanna give Will some room there?" Xander asked.

"Nah, we're cool, Xan. Right Red," the Slayer moved Willow's chair so she could rub the other girl's shoulders.

"No you're not, Faith," Xander told her firmly crossing over to the pair. "You're affected by the spell."

"Hey, don't get jealous. You had your chance with her and you blew it. So back off," Faith gave Xander a little push and he stumbled back a few steps.

"Faith," Willow admonished her.

"It's okay, I won't hurt him," the Slayer reassured her. "Not if he backs off like a good boy."

"Hey," Xander stepped forward again. "I'm not looking to get into Willow's pants. I'm more of a protective brother. Now, get away from her, so we can fix this damned spell!"

Faith slid off the table. She closed the gap between her and Xander. The Slayer grabbed his thin white button-up and his light blue tee shirt. She lifted him off the ground. "Make me."

"Goddess Hecate, work thy will; before thee let the unclean thing crawl!" Energy swirled around Amy and she thrusts her arms out toward Faith. The power of the spell leaped from Amy's hands and enveloped the Slayer. Xander hit the ground. Everyone stared at the pile of Faith's clothes. "Catch her!" Amy shouted as a dark brown rat crawled out of her shirt.

"Oh, my God!" Giles gasped.

Willow got up. "Come here, Faith. If you do I'll get you a nice hunk of cheese."

Xander circled around the other side of the ratified Slayer. "Easy. Nice Slayer," he pulled his over shirt off. "Stay put. There's a good girl." He dropped the shirt over the top of her, "Gotcha!" He tried to scoop his girlfriend up but the thin shirt offered no protection from Slayer-rat bites. "Ow! Stop it!"

The rat squirmed free and ran behind a bookshelf.

"Willow, Xander, just try to keep her trapped there for now," Jenny instructed. "Amy, tell me the spell you used so we can reverse it."

Amy explained.

"No wonder it's gone to pot," Giles groaned, sipping his tea. "Diana is the goddess of _chastity_ and the hunt, not love. And your phrasing was far too vague. 'A spark for one as she?' Basically, anyone that fancies girls."

"Giles," Jenny snapped. "Not helping."

"Sorry." He turned to one of the books, "Let's get started then."

Jenny lit the nine candles. "Diana, goddess of chastity, I beseech thee to depart." She placed seven herbs into a glass bowl. "Diana, goddess of the hunt, I beseech thee to depart." She lit the herbs. "Diana, goddess of the moon, I beseech thee to depart." Magic began to swirl around her.

"Diana, goddess of chastity, I beseech thee to depart," Amy intoned as she lit a bundle of sage from the herb mix. "Diana, goddess of the hunt, I beseech thee to depart." She moved over to where Willow was guarding one side of the bookcase the ratified Slayer was trapped behind. "Diana, goddess of the moon, I beseech thee to depart." She waved the bundle in a runic pattern over the other girl. "Let the flame of desire die down. Let the path of love be dim once more until love's own light brightens it. So mote it be."

The swirling energy rushed from the circle of candles, through Amy and into Willow. White sparks flew from her fingertips and the ends of her hair. Energy rushed in from the halls, from Giles in the book cage, and the Slayer-rat. While most of it was absorbed by the black candles some also entered the two girls.

Amy coughed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She placed the sage bundle in the glass bowl with the other herbs. Amy traded places with Willow at the end of the bookcase. "Goddess of creatures great and small, I conjure thee to withdraw. Hecate, I hereby license thee to depart." She tossed a fine glittery powder onto Faith.

As suddenly as she had been transformed the Slayer was returned. The bookcase toppled over. Willow squeaked and Jenny, scooping up Faith's clothes on the way by, wrapped the girl in a blanket.

"What was in that dust?" Giles asked as they all gave Faith some privacy to put her clothes back on.

"Just rock salt and quartz ground into a fine powder," Amy replied. "They both absorb negative energy."

"How long are you gonna stay in the cage?" Xander asked.

"Until Jenny, Ms. Calendar lets me out; I gave her the keys," the librarian responded.

"Smart man," Xander nodded his approval. Arms snaked around his waist and a warm body pressed against his back. Xander stiffened at the sudden contact.

"Oh, god, Xand, I'm so sorry," Faith murmured into his shoulder. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"It's not your fault. It was an accident," Xander put his hands over hers. "I don't even blame Amy and Willow. They were just trying to do something nice for Will."

"I tried to hurt you," the Slayer clarified.

"You were just trying to scare me," he reassured her.

"I would have done it," she insisted.

"You are not Artemia," Giles said as Jenny unlocked the cage. "The Slayer whose family was killed by Kakistos," he clarified. "Even under such a powerful spell, you took your friends preferences into consideration."

"Willow didn't like the violence," Faith nodded, her face still pressed into Xander's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Amy sobbed. "Willow didn't wanna do it. I talked her into it."

"Amy," Xander started.

"We will forgive you. You made a mistake. Willow made it with you. I don't know what your punishment will be, yet, but once it's done, if you really learned your lesson, we will forgive you," Giles patted the girl's shoulder awkwardly. "I'd like to teach the pair of you more about magic. Your self-education is impressive, but I think you would benefit from more formal training."

"I should have known the thing about Diana being a goddess of chastity," she sniffled.

Jenny hugged her, "It'll be okay. You and Willow need to do a cleansing ritual. I'll walk you through it."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow had traded tops with Amy. She much preferred the purple striped long sleeve to the white button up. She leaned against a locker, her forehead pressed against the cool metal.

"Hey," a soft male voice said.

Willow gave a small whine before turning to face the boy, "Hey?"

He was not very tall, an inch above Willow's height. His medium brown hair was dyed a shade of red-orange Giles called ginger. "I can come back, if you're still using my locker." his voice held little emotion, but his eyes were warm and his smile genuine. "I gotta say though, I'm glad you changed your shirt. I like you better in colors."

Willow smiled brightly and slid to the side so he could access his locker. "Thanks. I don't think I've met you before. I'm Willow."

"My name's Daniel, but everyone calls me Oz."


	11. Chapter 11: The Switch

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

11\. The Switch

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith, Willow, and Xander sat on the bleachers waiting for the cheerleading tryouts to start. The girls were spread out, doing stretches and various warm-ups. "People scoff at things like school spirit," Xander commented as he watched Amber Grove doing the splits between two chairs, "but look at these girls giving their all like this!"

"Oooh, stretchy!" Faith pointed to Amber.

Xander nodded his agreement. "Bet you could do that."

"No way," Faith shook her head. "I'd tear my quads. My muscles are denser than normal, so I weigh slightly more. I could do the splits on the floor, though."

"I don't see why you don't try out," Willow said.

"I'm not a vapid airhead," Faith offered.

Xander shook his head. "Where was I?"

"You were pretending that seeing scantily clad girls in revealing postures was a spiritual experience," Willow arched her eyebrows at him.

"Who said I was pretending?" Xander smirked. "Not that I'd trade my Slayer for all the cheerleaders in the world."

"Yeah, you better not," Faith nudged him with her shoulder.

Willow sighed at their antics.

Cordelia, wearing a black, star-spangled sports bra and matching shorts, approached their section of bleacher and stood in front of them.

Faith gave the cheerleader an appraising look. "Does Donna Troy know you stole her gym clothes?"

Xander gave a soft whimper and glance back and forth between the pair.

"Wonder Girl wishes she looked this good," the cheerleader snarked. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had revealed some inner geek. Cordelia narrowed her eyes at the group, "Wonder Woman is a feminist icon. I know about her, Donna Troy and the blonde one, um, Cassie Sandsmark. That's it. Got it?" The trio nodded. Shaking her head she changed the subject. "Just look at that Amber. Who does she think she is, a Lakers Girl?"

"I heard she turned them down," Willow answered.

"You'll do fine, C," Faith reassured the vice-captain.

"I'm not worried about making the squad," Cordelia snapped.

"But you are worried about not being picked to replace Joy as captain next year," Faith suggested.

"I'll only be a Junior, Amber will be a Senior," she admitted.

"Amber is hot, flexible, and talented," Xander said. Willow and Cordelia glared at him, he hurriedly added, "But she has no leadership skills, and no experience organizing the team. You spent all year as vice-captain, Joy knows you know the job. She'd be stupid to give it to anyone else."

"Thanks," the cheerleader smiled at them. She strutted back over to Joy as the captain made her way to the middle of the gym. "Okay, listen up!"

"If you're not auditioning, move off the floor!" Joy called. "Amber Grove, you're up first!"

Amy moved over to the group. "Hey!"

"You nervous?" Willow asked.

"Not really," Amy shrugged. "My mom's pretty happy with the weight I've lost training with you guys. She'd be disappointed if I don't make the squad, but I'm only trying out for her. Kind of a bummer for me either way."

Amber began her floor routine. She shifted her weight to her right leg and swept her left behind her, then clasped her hands gently around her knee. Her legs were perfectly straight and her arms bent at a right angle. She dropped her leg as the music kicked on.

To the beat of her fast-paced electronic dance song, Amber stepped forward, thrusting her chest out repeatedly while pumping her arms. On the next beat, she sided-stepped with her right leg and held her right arm out at the same angle, her left hand behind her head. Shaking her hips side to side, Amber brought her arms down across her body one at a time. She clapped her hands and moved them over her cocked hip.

"She trained with Benson. He's one of the best coaches money can buy," Amy told Faith.

"They have cheerleading coaches?" Faith asked unbelieving.

"Oh, yeah!" the witch nodded. "Cheerleading is serious business. Before you came along, my mom coached me. Three hours in the morning, three at night."

"I'm shocked that much quality time didn't lead to some quality matricide," the Slayer quipped.

"Oh, I know it's hokey," Amy replied, "but she's really great."

Amber shifted so her weight was on her right leg while her left and arms formed a diagonal line. Squatting, she brought both hands down onto her left knee with her elbows out wide as she continued to undulate her hips salaciously.

Amber sprang up, her hands at her sides and her legs forming a sharp V. She followed a textbook cartwheel with a hands-free front flip, then slid into the splits and grabbed her pom-poms. She put her hands on the floor in front of her and pushed herself up with her legs still outstretched and held the position for a moment before lowering her legs beneath her. Amber raised herself up by shifting her feet in time to the music.

Her hands were at her sides again and her legs formed a sharp V. Her pom-pom routine started with a Shakira style hip shake. As Amber swiveled her hips sideways and slid her pom-poms seductively down her body, they began to smoke. There were about fifteen seconds of gyrating and exaggerated arm movements before the crowd started murmuring. Amber herself didn't seem to notice until she dropped her pom-poms and her hands burst into flames.

Faith stood and yanked down a heavy wool banner. She sprinted over to Amber. The girl was flailing her arms about. The Slayer knocked the cheerleader to the floor and smothered the flames with the banner. "Somebody call an ambulance," the Slayer shouted still holding the girl down.

"I'm on it," Cordelia called back.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith paced the length of the library. Her friends were grouped around the table. "Anyone ever see a case of spontaneous human combustion before?" the Slayer asked.

Giles came out of the book cage with a tome in his hands. "It is, is rare, and scientifically unexplained, but there have been cases for hundreds of years. Usually, all that's left is a pile of ashes," he explained.

"That's all that would have been left if it hadn't been for Faith," Willow said. She still seemed shaken.

"So, we have no idea what caused this. That's a comfort," Xander voiced the trios fear.

"But that's the thrill of living on the Hellmouth!" Giles smiled. He was genuinely excited. The Watcher sat on the edge of the table as he continued, "There's a veritable cornucopia of, of fiends and devils and, and ghouls to engage." At everyone's slightly worried stares he grumbled, "Pardon me for finding the glass half full."

"Any common causes, so we can start narrowing the field?" Faith brought the conversation back on task.

"Uh, rage. In most cases the person who combusted was, was terribly angry or, or upset," Giles slid his book onto the shelf.

"So maybe Amber's got this power to make herself be on fire. It's like the Human Torch, only it hurts," Xander theorized.

"More like the human scorch," Faith chuckled.

Xander snickered as well but Giles frowned disapprovingly. "Do any of you actually listen to the things coming out of your mouths?"

The three teens seated at the table shot him varying levels of hurt looks. Faith just shrugged and said, "Eh, I fade in and out." The Slayer turned serious again. "We need to find out if Amber's had any colorful episodes before. Willow, check her school records?" The red head nodded. "Amy, help Giles. Xander, you and me will go ask around."

"Cordelia will know who her friends are," Xander pointed out.

"All right, let's get rocking," the Slayer nodded to him.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Any word on Amber?" Giles asked as the other three teens trotted into the library next day.

"Nothing thrilling," Willow shrugged. She offered everyone a few of the raw almonds she was snacking on. "Average student. Got detention once for smoking, a, a cigarette, not, like, being smoky. All totally normal."

"No joy on the known associates front, either," Faith added. "Mostly she hangs with other cheerleaders. They're all on good terms. There is some jealousy, Amber's got the moves of a stripper. But nothing to go on unless someone hates cheerleaders. It's about all she does."

"Giles and I haven't really found anything useful. We'll do more research after school," Amy sighed. "I'm looking forward to reading about immolation more than tryouts."

"Speaking of," Xander dumped his small handful of almonds into his mouth and gestured to the door with both thumbs.

"Ugh," Amy said, but headed to the gym all the same.

The foursome arrived just as a pacing Joy began addressing the gathered students. "Despite the terrible thing that happened yesterday, we still have to pick new cheerleaders. If you make the team, you'll find your names posted in the quad after lunch." She paused briefly, considering her options. "Let's begin with the group performance."

Her friends wished her luck as Amy moved to her spot on the floor. Joy started them off with a count and they chanted, "Sunnydale! Sunnydale! We never fail! We never fail! Jump and Shoot! Swish and score! The other team is such a bore! Yeah!" They ended the quick dance routine with a cartwheel. Amy didn't get her legs up and toppled over. Cordelia yelped as the other girl collided with her.

"You saw that right?" the cheerleader directed her question to Joy as she stood.

"My bad!" Amy agreed once she too was back on her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cordelia nodded.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"That's my mom," Amy pointed to the trophy case as they passed it on their way to the quad. "Her nickname was 'Catherine the Great'. She was squad leader her senior year. They made tri-county champions. Y'know, no one's ever done that before, or since."

"Really?" Faith quirked an eyebrow at that.

"We lose a lot of people to 'unexplained' deaths," the witch shrugged. "She and my dad were Homecoming King and Queen. They got married right after graduation."

"That sounds romantic as hell, but I sense a wistful 'but' in that sentence," the Slayer put her hand on Amy's shoulder.

"Well, he was a big loser. Never made any money. Ran off with Miss Trailer Trash when I was twelve," she frowned.

"Mine's in jail. Since I was little. Don't really remember him," Faith confided.

"Drag, huh?"

Faith nodded.

"Wanna change the subject?"

Faith nodded, emphatically.

"Let's see if I made the cut, then," Amy trotted ahead of Faith out into the afternoon sunshine. A crowd had already formed waiting for Joy to post the list. "I can't take this. I'm in for a one-way ticket to Suckville either way, but the waiting is…"

"A hell all its own?" Xander asked as he and Willow joined them. "I'm goin' in."

Before he got two steps Cordelia emerged from the crowd. "You're lucky!" she said to Amy.

"I made it?"

" _I_ made captain!" the cheerleader clarified.

"We knew that," Faith scoffed.

"She's third alternate," Cordelia shrugged. "Better luck next year."

"Thanks," Amy mumbled.

"Didn't think you'd be disappointed," Faith put an arm around her shoulder.

"It's just how many more hours a day can I practice? Y'know, how much more can I do? This would never happen to my mother. Never," Amy tried to push away.

"Know what? We should do a total brownie pig-out," Willow said stepping into her path. "And, and."

"A cheesy movie fest," Xander added.

"We do deserve a little bit of a break," Faith smiled. "What'd' ya' say? I'll let Giles know and we can take over the living room."

"Yeah, okay," Amy agreed. She smiled, "At least the worst is over now."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy had gone home after school to give her mother the bad news, then she'd called off the brownie/movie fest. It was a school night after all. She also hadn't joined them for their morning run. Faith frowned as she, Willow and Xander waited by Amy's locker. "It's not like her to be late," the Slayer muttered.

"Not making the team must have hit her harder than she let on," Willow frowned. Down the hall, Cordelia was fumbling with a locker. "Is that even Cordelia's locker?"

"I don't know," Xander answered. "We should reschedule for Friday."

"Yeah, let's," Faith agreed. "Queen C is acting weird. I'm gonna check it out, you two wait here." The pair nodded as the Slayer trotted after the cheerleader.

Cordelia walked out to the parking lot. The normally coordinated girl stumbled over the curb. When the bell rang for the start of class, the stern driver's ed. instructor snapped at the cheerleader as Cordelia fumbled with the driver's side door.

Faith bit her lip as the clearly distraught teen tried to buckle her seatbelt. "She should _not_ be behind the wheel right now," she observed quietly.

The dated Pontiac lurched backward, knocking over a pair of mock traffic signs. "Jesus," Faith said, somewhat startled by the display. The car then shot forward, full throttle, the six-cylinder engine growling loudly as it careened through the cones, sending them flying in all directions. It was readily apparent that the car was out of control. Faith broke into a run, doing her best to keep up with the vehicle as it weaved this way and that. It smacked into yet more cones, sideswiped a newer Dodge sedan and burst through a hedge, taking down a piece of the chain link fence as it did so.

She was nearing the car when it began shuddering violently. She could tell Mr. Pole had his foot planted firmly on the passenger side brake. The car jerked as the brakes fought with the accelerator. She heard the loud grinding sound as he engaged the emergency brake. Finally, the sound of the motor eased as Cordelia's foot left the accelerator.

"Everybody out!" the instructor yelled. The three students in the car all staggered out, Cordelia into the street. A delivery van was barreling up the road. The driver was searching the center console. Faith ran and tackled the girl out of the way.

"Oh, my God, I, I can't see anything!" she groped for Faith's arm.

The Slayer took her hand and helped her to sit up, "It's okay. I got you." She looked into Cordelia's eyes. They were completely white. "We'll fix this."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Witchcraft," Giles confirmed. "Blinding your enemy to disorient and disable them is, it's classic! But why should someone want to harm Cordelia?"

"Maybe because they met her?" Willow put her hand over her mouth. "Did I say that out loud?"

"And setting Amber ablaze?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, those two don't really hang out together," Xander shrugged.

"They're both cheerleaders," Faith pointed out. "And on top of the cheerleading pyramid, metaphorically."

"Literally in Cordy's case," Xander added.

"So someone doesn't like cheerleading," the Watcher brought them back on topic.

"Or likes it too much," Willow muttered. She looked up at Faith with worried eyes. "Amy?"

"Maybe," Faith said reluctantly. "She knows the witch-fu. But this doesn't feel like her."

"People do strange things for the approval of a parent," Giles told them. "Let's at least rule her out, shall we?" He paged through a leather bound book, "There should be something in here. Ah, yes, this should do. We'll need some of her hair, a little quicksilver and some aqua fortis."

"Well, that's just mercury and nitric acid. I can get that from the science lab," Willow informed them. "I have Chemistry next period."

"'Heat ingredients and apply to the witch,'" Giles read out the instructions, "'and if a spell has been cast in the previous 48 hours, the witch's skin turns blue.' Hmm." He shut the book, "Oh, and you'll need some Eye of Newt."

"Why is magic so icky?" Xander asked.

Giles gave him a dry look, "It's a folk name for a type of Mustard Seed, Brassica nigra." He stepped into his office and began rummaging in the desk drawers.

"Why don't they just say that then?"

"Part of it is code to keep recipes in a family or, or hide them from the authorities, but usually it is merely what the original author knew the ingredient as," the librarian lectured. He handed Willow a small resealable bag filled with small round seeds. "Now, the three of you had best get to class."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Mr. Verona stood at the front of the class instructing them on dissecting a frog. Willow passed Faith an open cola can. The Slayer set it on the edge of her lab table. As Amy watched the teacher closely Faith bumped the table, causing the can to spill on the witch. The liquid turned blue on contact with Amy's skin. "I thought you weren't doing magic," Faith whispered as Mr. Verona continued giving instructions.

"I…" Amy started to retort but was interrupted by a gasp from Mr. Verona.

"Lishanne, are you... Oh, my God!" He dropped his scalpel and dashed to the phone. Lishanne, violently shaking her head, no longer had a mouth. Much of the class gasped in horror as Mr. Verona called 911.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"Amy went home after the trauma that was third period," Faith explained to Giles. "But the test was positive."

"If she wasn't doing it she'd tell us what she _was_ doing, right?" Xander asked.

"Maybe Lishanne's disfigurement really did freak her out?" Willow offered.

"Yeah, maybe," Faith muttered.

"We should go check on her either way," Giles stood abruptly folding his newspaper. "You two should get to class."

"It's lunch," Xander pointed out.

"Yes, well, go get lunch then," the librarian corrected.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Amy heard the front door open and panicked. She sprinted to the kitchen and began throwing things in a large mixing bowl.

"Where are you?" was shouted from the entry way.

Amy did a poor job trying to hide the mixing bowl and grabbed a bag of baby carrots from the fridge. "The kitchen!" She shouted back. Amy walked into the living room stuffing a carrot into her mouth. "It's only lunch, did something happen?"

"You do magic!" her mother screamed at her. "You friends know about it!"

"I, I… it was just a spell to help Willow get a boyfriend," Amy said petulantly.

"What were you doing in the kitchen?" her mother glared at her.

Amy raised the bag of baby carrots.

"Right," her mother sneered. "Get started on this history report. It's due tomorrow." She stalked into the kitchen.

"Yes, mien Führer," Amy picked up her backpack and rifled through it for her history text.

After a loud crash, her mother came storming out of the kitchen. She slapped Amy across the face. "No junk food! God damn it! Why won't you learn! This is why you didn't make the team!"

Amy didn't say anything. She watched her mother stomp upstairs to the attic. Amy turned the volume up on the TV and snuck back into her room.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith was sitting in the passenger seat of Giles' Citron DS fiddling with the radio. Apparently finding the station she was looking for she began singing along with the current song, "Hey Mickey! Now when you take me by the hooves everyone's gonna know. Every time you move I let a little more show. There's somethin' we can use, so don't say no, Mickey!"

"No," Giles switched the radio off. "For the love of all that is holy, Faith, just no."

"What? Why not? That song is fun!" she protested. "Oh Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey. Hey Mickey!"

Giles grumbled under his breath. Luckily for him, it wasn't much further to Amy's house. "Here we are," he said getting out.

"You know, it really does look witchy!" Faith proclaimed. She jogged ahead to examine the grotesque face on the wroughtiron gate. "Creepy, huh? Does this not give you the total wiggins?"

"Um, no? Not even in the top hundred actually." Giles took a good look at his Slayer. She bounced as they stood in front of the gate. He asked her, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Peachy keen, nectarine!" was her reply.

Giles frowned. He pushed open the gate and lead Faith to the door. She leaned on the doorbell until Amy's mother Catherine answered.

"Catherine the Great!" Faith bounced up and down. "Gimme an A, Gimme an M, Gimme a Y. Gimme an Amy!"

"Is your daughter home?" Giles asked.

Catherine pulled them both inside, "Thank god you're here. She completely flipped her lid." She led the pair to Amy's bedroom. "I don't know the counter to the bloodstone vengeance spell, but it does put us on a serious time crunch."

Giles looked over the array of candles and herbs before responding, "You're Amy."

"How'd you guess?"

"The bad witch-fu is not Amy's style!" Faith piped up. She hugged Amy-in-Catherine's-body. "Be Amy shaped!"

"Kind of working on it," the witch replied. "That selfish, controlling bitch wants to relive her glory days. Said I was wasting my youth. So she took it," Amy growled as she handed Giles an incantation and a length of rope. "Like she's any better than dad; they both peaked in high school."

"Aww," Faith hugged her again. "I love you, Amy. Even if you aren't Amy shaped. You're you on the inside, and that's what counts."

"Thanks, Faith," Amy smiled. "You know what to do, Giles?" The Watcher nodded. "All right. Faith, I want you to knock me out."

"What? Noo, I can't hurt you. You're my friend. My normally Amy shaped friend. My Amy on the inside friend."

"Faith," Amy grabbed her shoulders. "I need you to do this so I can be Amy on the outside, too. Okay?"

Faith nodded vigorously, "So you'll be Amy shaped!"

"Yes," Amy agreed. "Then Giles will tie my mom up and we can undo all the bad witch-fu."

"Okay, Amy. This will make an ouch!" Faith clocked the teen in the head. Amy crumpled to the floor.

Giles made Faith lie on the bed before securing Amy/Catherine. He lit the candles and started dropping dried herbs into the small cauldron. "The center is dark. Centrum est obscurus. The darkness breathes. Tenebrae respiratis. The listener hears. Hear me! Unlock the gate. Let the darkness shine. Cover us with holy fear. Corsheth and Gilail! The gate is closed! Receive the dark! Release the unworthy! Take of mine energy and be sated!" As he finished he plunged his hands into the mixture he's concocted. "Be sated! Release the unworthy!" He pulled his hands out. Amy, or rather Amy's body, jerked the door open. She held an athame in her hand. "Release! Release! RELEEEEASE!" Giles entreated. The girl lunged forward, blade leading. A bright black light flashed from the cauldron.

Amy's body fell to the ground, the knife clattering down at Giles' feet. He breathed a sigh of relief as the girl lifted herself to her elbows and said, "That sucked."

"We need to break the curse on Faith and the others now," Giles helped her to stand.

"I feel all woozy," Faith mumbled.

"You just rest here," Giles patted her knee. "We'll take care of the spell work, all right?"

"All right. Right as rain," she murmured.  
Giles and Amy headed up the stairs.  
Catherine moaned from her place on the floor. "Lousy, ungrateful brat," the witch muttered.

Faith looked over the edge of the bed. "Amy's not ungrateful! She appreciated the time you both put in. You're just self-centered and obsessed." Faith stuck her tongue out. She rolled back onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Faith could hear Catherine struggling against the ropes. "I'm starting to feel better. So you should stop that."

"What are you going to do if I don't, kill me?" she sneered.

"That is one way to undo all your spells if I'm not mistaken," the Slayer mused. "I'm not like other girls, Mrs. Madison. You don't want to piss me off."

"Oooh, I wouldn't like you when you're angry?" the woman taunted.

"Yeah, pretty much. You could say I become a whole other person," Faith chuckled.

"Good," Catherine was suddenly standing over her with the athame in her hand. "Corsheth, look upon my enemy! Look upon her and let the dark place have her soul!" As she raised the blade, Faith raised her arms to block. "Let me have her form!" Catherine sliced her own palm. Blood dripped down the blade onto Faith. "Let me possess her!" She brought the bloody knife down toward Faith.

The Slayer sighed in boredom as she easily caught the woman's wrist. "Yeah, um. No," she said, giving the limb a violent squeeze. The bones in Catherine's wrist creaked, then snapped harshly. The woman let out a pain filled scream. The knife tumbled from her fist. Faith snatched it from the air and quickly slammed it down through the back of the aged witch's hand and into the nightstand beside Amy's bed. "Stay!" Catherine was beside herself with pain. Faith grinned and patted her cheek. "Good doggie."

Meanwhile, the collected energy Catherine had summoned for her spell swirled and flashed about the room. With nowhere to go and no focus, it began collapsing in on itself. Faith was forced to close her eyes at the brightness of it. She threw herself to the side of the bed away from the woman and her insidious magic, thumping to the floor hard. "Ow," she said, reaching behind her to the carpet. "Rollerblades," she said, tossing the piece of sports equipment aside. She sat up and watched as the power Catherine had called upon rushed in on the woman, seemingly tearing her apart. "Ouch," the Slayer offered as she watched her friend's mother finally disappear in a flash of blackened light. She let out a breath and fell back to the floor. "Note to self, never do…whatever that crap was."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

"My dad is so impossible!" Amy told them as she stuffed her bag into her locker. "He doesn't ever want me going anywhere! He wants to spend total quality time together. And I'm, like, 'Dad, I can go out, it's perfectly safe!' But he's got all this guilt about leaving me with my mom. And he's being a total pain."

"You're loving it," Willow grinned at her.

"Every single minute," the witch confirmed. "This Saturday night he wants to stay in and make brownies. Well, the brownies were my idea." Amy turned around. She spotted Cordelia, "Hey, Queen C, Got a sec?"

"Don't call me that," the cheerleader snapped.

"Sorry," Amy apologized. "Anyway, I want you to take my name off the alternates list. I'm just not that committed to cheerleading without my mom breathing down my neck. It wouldn't be fair to the team for me to take up a spot. Besides, you know how clumsy I am. This is me bowing out, ha, gracefully."

"Well, good for you," Cordelia nodded. "Now quit nerding up the place. I'm sure there's an else you could be."

"Yes your majesty," Amy gave a mock bow and returned to her friends. "And with that nasty business all taken care of, I am free of cheer."

"Aww," Faith hugged her. "Is our Amy shaped friend unhappy?"

"I know what will fix that," Willow grinned. "My dad wants to invite everyone and their parental guardians over for lasagna."

Amy and Faith both made squeeing noises. Xander said, "Ooh, that man is devious. Offering up irresistible Italian goodness, but requiring an awkward social gathering."

"It's worth it," Amy grinned.


	12. Chapter 12: Broken Prophecies

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

The Master

12\. Broken Prophecies

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander held Faith's phone in front of him, turned sideways to wide-screen to record the action. The crypt he was perched on gave him an excellent view of the Slayer kicking vampire butt. A crossbow, loaded and ready, rested beside him.

Faith grabbed the vampire's arm and brought his elbow back against her forearm. The joint gave a slick _pop_ as it dislocated. The Slayer released him and stepped back, bobbing energetically as she waited for her opponent to recover. The vampire howled in pain as he popped his elbow back into its socket.

Growling, the vampire lunged at her. Faith spun to the side and used her momentum to kick him away. The vampire slid across the grass. He picked himself up and came at her again, this time with his fists up. The Slayer swatted a few his strikes aside before grabbing his wrist and tossing the vampire over her shoulder. Faith pushed a stake through his ribs and into his heart. The vampire crumbled to dust.

"That makes three," Xander told her proudly.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow sat at the counter at the Bronze, sipping a soda. She rapped her fingers on the bar in time to the music. The Dingoes Ate My Baby were playing. The hacker was excited to find that one of the guitarists was Oz. As she watched him play, Willow noticed a passion, an intensity that had been lacking during their brief conversation. Narrowed in concentration his green eyes seemed darker. He would smile during riffs he liked or furrow his brow during one that was complex. On the other hand, his face was completely neutral in between songs.

At the end of the set, Willow put her empty glass down. She made her way to the edge of the stage. "Hi," she said, smiling.

"Hey," he smiled back.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Chris Madison watched his daughter as she added pepper, garlic, and fennel seed to the boiling water. He continued to chop vegetables for the salad as the little radio began playing _Sunshine of Your Love_ by Cream. "Hey, turn this up," Amy told him, handing Melissa – her step-mother – a loaf of French bread. "There's garlic butter in the lunch meat drawer."

"I didn't know you liked Cream," Chris smiled, moving along with the beat.

Amy shrugged. "Giles has a lot of old records. I think music is the only thing he likes as much as books."

"I'm not sure you should spend so much time around him," Melissa said as she spread a generous layer of garlic butter on the bread.

"I know you're just trying to be a concerned parent," Amy flashed her an annoyed smile, "but Giles is Faith's uncle, not just some creepy librarian who likes to hang out with the young kids." She paused, then turned to her dad. "Which reminds me: Willows parents want to know when you two are available for a dinner party. Giles will be there and so will Xander's folks. Hopefully."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles puttered from the kitchen to his favorite chair in the living room. He set his tea down on the end table Faith had made for him. It had started life as a small three tiered book shelving cart and a wooden garden tray. Giles pulled the Codex – a rare tome Angel had given to him the night before – and a notebook off the shelf. He muttered to himself as he translated. "Ho korias phanaytie toutay... tay nuktee. 'The Master shall rise...'" he took a sip of his tea. "Yes, yes, this is it! 'The Master shall rise, and the Slayer...'" Giles paled. He double checked his translation. "Dear god no."

As he reached for his tea again the cup began to rattle. The whole room was shaking. Giles got up and made for the kitchen doorway. He winced as the dishes clattered in the cupboards. His teacup crashed onto the hardwood floor. Giles lamented not getting a rug for the area.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Melissa screamed when the spaghetti pot fell off the stove. She also shoved Amy out of the way of the boiling liquid.

Amy drew power inside herself. She clung to the doorframe with her right hand and drew a Celtic sigil in the air, "Dhìon!" She repeated the gesture over her father. Cans and dishes rained out of the cupboards and deflected off shields of faint blue light. "Ragadh," the witch cast again, this time taking away the pain of Melissa's burns. "Stay still. I've only numbed the area."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Oz hopped off the stage and grabbed Willow's arm when the shaking started. "Under the stairs," he tugged her along. When she put her hand on a step to brace herself he quickly pulled it away. A flood of people rushed down the stairs.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

In the graveyard, the trees were swaying. Car alarms echoed through the night air. Xander shouted and fell as the crypt's roof crumbled beneath him.

Pushing the crypt door out of her way the Slayer saw her boyfriend lying on his back. "Are you okay?" she asked as she approached.

"Peachy keen," he replied, sarcastically. "The stone sarcophagus broke my fall."

"Fall or skull?" Faith asked as he sat up.

Xander hissed in pain as he felt the back of his head, "A case could be made either way."

"Here," she helped him to his feet. "Let's make sure you don't have a concussion."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles was pale when the pair of teens entered the house. "Faith!" he rushed to the foyer to greet them. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Xander might have cracked his skull," the Slayer replied.

"Set him down on the couch. I'll have a look at him," the Watcher instructed. He passed through the dining room and kitchen, meeting them in the great room with a first aid kit.

"Your first quake, too?" Xander asked. "Faith was fairly freaked."

"You fell and hit your head," the Slayer wagged a finger at him. "Of course I was freaked."

Giles checked the boy over as the pair bantered back and forth. He put three stitches in the back of Xander's head and recommended an ice pack as well. "You should stay here tonight, so I can keep an eye on you. I don't think you have a concussion, but you really can't be too careful with head injuries." Giles turned to his Slayer. "He can keep me company while I do some research. Would you fetch a blanket?"

When Faith returned with a pair of blankets and pillows Xander was showing Giles the footage he'd taken of that night's patrol. "Is it just me or are there, like, more of them than normal?" the boy asked.

"Their numbers are increasing," Giles concurred. He raised an eyebrow at Faith when she settled down on the floor in front of the couch with the second pillow and blanket. "W-why don't you head to bed, Faith? I can handle things down here."

"Don't wanna," she yawned. "I'm'a' sleep right here. Keep everybody safe."

The Watcher gave an indulgent sigh, "Well, don't complain to me about your back aching in the morning."

"Mmkay," the Slayer agreed.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Xander noticed immediately that Giles was tense. Over what, he couldn't be sure, but he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, something was bothering the elder British man. He watched casually as Giles prepared a full English breakfast for the three of them. Why British folks ate beans in the morning, he would never know, but there it was. He continued to stare at the man as he went through preparing light, yet nutritious lunches for Faith, Xander and himself. After breakfast was finished, Giles shooed Faith upstairs to get ready for school. Finally, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "What's wrong? And how do we fix it?"

Giles stared at the teen for a long moment. Finally, with tears forming in the corners of his eyes Giles spoke softly, "There is nothing we _can_ do. Tomorrow night Faith will face the Master, and she will die."

Xander stared at the Watcher as if he had spontaneously grown another head. "Um…don't you think you oughta preface that with, you know… _something_?"

Giles moved to the end table beside his chair and lifted the book in question. "I received this a few days ago. I've been translating it. It's been an endeavor, but my translations are correct. Within is a prophecy that states, unequivocally, that Faith will be led into the Master's lair where he will end her life."

"Well…" Xander began angrily. "Bullcrap, party of two." He dropped back on the sofa. "There's gotta be some way around it."

"I've checked it against all my other volumes. Some prophecies are, are a bit dodgy. They're, they're mutable. Faith has thwarted at least two major prophecies before. But this is the Pergamum Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass," the Watcher slouched against the kitchen counter.

"So that's it, huh?" Faith said from the doorway. She was freshly showered and dressed in a black, sleeveless top and faded jeans. Xander approached her to offer comfort but she brushed by him to address Giles, "I remember the drill. One Slayer punches her ticket, next in line's up to bat! Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"

"Someone else," Giles affirmed. "I wouldn't…" he shook his head. "I couldn't."

"They say how it'll go down, Tweed?" she asked. Arms snaked around her waist and a warm body pressed against her back. Faith stiffened at the sudden contact. "Don't," she pushed Xander away. "I'm fine. Knew it was a short term gig going into it." Faith sighed heavily. "Were you even gonna tell me?"

"I, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to," Giles admitted. "That there was, _is_ some way around it."

"But there's not. And you know it. No sense in wasting what time I've got. Let's get a plan together and make sure bat-face's rise ends in a hail of dust," Faith scrubbed her arm over her eyes. She was fairly certain her threatening tears went unnoticed.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Willow had never skipped class before. She was typing away at her laptop despite the tears in her eyes. The hacker sniffled as she marked herself, Amy, and Xander as being called in sick by their parents. Giles had actually called in for Faith. The group sat in the great room listening as the Watcher read the translation of the prophecy.

"Screw that," Amy stood up and grabbed a spell book off the shelf. "We have an awkward dinner party next Thursday, and you're not getting out of it that easy."

"Can't Faith just stay in tomorrow night?" Xander asked.

"Anything could cause her demise. It, it... There is no indication as to _how_ ," Giles stammered as he cross-referenced another vague prophecy. "I do wish I had a copy of the Devandiré Sibylline Codex."

Faith handed him her cell phone, "Does the council have a copy?"

"Well, yes," he admitted.

"If they give you any guff tell them I quit," she smiled at him.

"Faith," Giles chided as he dialed.

"If they give you any guff, ask them what else are they good for and tell them it's their job to help the Slayer," Xander suggested.

"Xander," Giles chided firmly as the phone rang on the other end.

"What? It worked for Faith," the teen grinned.

The four teens were witness to a rare and authoritative Giles as he politely demanded that the research department drop what it was doing to double check the prophecy. He didn't shout or panic and made liberal use of the phrase, "Because we'll all be dead, otherwise."

When the long call was completed Xander asked, "Is there good news?"

"My calculations are spot on."

"Bad news?" Faith prompted.

"My calculations are spot on," Giles repeated.

"Maybe," Willow said looking up from a pile of books, "I mean, it says the Slayer, right? What if Faith wasn't? What if we could transfer the Slayer power to a-another vessel?"

"The essence of the Slayer would burn out a normal human in a matter of hours," Giles informed them. He stood and retrieved a particularly old Watcher's diary. "It was attempted in 1412 by Owain Glyndŵr. What was left was buried in the church of Saints Mael and Sulien."

"There is another way," Amy said, her head still lowered. "But it's risky. And if we fail it leaves us facing the Master Slayerless."

"Amy, what…" Giles began to ask.

"I was so scared," she sobbed.

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked.

"Willow was in danger, but he just collapsed I, I couldn't just leave him."

Xander, frowning, looked at everyone. "Leave who?"

"Morgan," Faith said as she moved over and wrapped her arms around the witch. "She used her magic and saved his butt, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, nodding. "See? Context is key. Less confused Xander's walking around that way."

Faith ignored him. "I know, Amy. You did the right thing. Everything worked out. I know none of you asked for this. I really appreciate all your help." When Amy's tears subsided Faith tilted her chin up, "It's a good thought. The Codex is always right so we give it what it wants but on our terms. But I can't leave you guys to face him on your own."

"Angel!" Xander jumped up. "He's all tough brooding champion of the night. We'll use him as a backup Slayer."

"No," Giles said firmly. But he was smiling, "We already have a backup Slayer." He snapped the book he was holding shut, "We just need a strong enough vessel to put her in."

"Who?" Willow asked.

"Artemia," Faith answered. "The Greek Slayer that's been possessing me."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith explained the procedure to Cordelia as Amy and Willow set out candles and Xander drew a boundary line with salt, "All you have to do is hold this chalice and repeat anything Amy says in English."

"What's in the cup?" the cheerleader asked, sniffing the contents. "It smells like lawn clippings and cheap Walmart perfume."

"A blend of cyclamen, rosemary, and dandelion," Amy answered.

"Look at that I was right." She moaned sadly. "Why me?"

"Because you know about the supernatural, and Ms. Calendar has classes to teach," Xander offered.

"Bonus," Faith added, "Angel will be here so you can get his number."

"Fine," the cheerleader huffed. "What exactly are you trying to do anyway?"

"Give Willow superpowers," Xander gave her the short answer.

"Why?" she looked at the mousy redhead. "Not that she doesn't need them, I mean."

"Need to take out an über-vamp," Faith explained. "Wanted some extra back up."

Giles arrived with Angel just as the preparations were complete. Inside the circle of salt was a circle of twelve white candles. Another circle of salt was at the center of a complex set of runes drawn on the hardwood floor in chalk. The Watcher went over the symbols carefully. "Nice work, Amy. But this should be Sowilō, not Tiwaz," he offered, motioning toward a few of the runes.

"Oh, sorry. Is Faith standing there?" Amy asked as she fixed the marks around the north facing circle of runes.

"Yes, and opposite her will be Angel," the Watcher nodded as he changed the runes marking that spot as well. "Amy to his right, Cordelia to his left. Xander will stand across from her." Giles stood with a groan. "Now the fun part," he gestured for Willow to enter the center circle. The librarian walked around the circle with a long red cord. As he wrapped it about their wrists, insuring that it didn't hamper their movements, he told each, "I bind you to this gathering. Our number is six, united." As he spoke, the candles lit up. Finally he took his place between Faith and Cordelia.

"I bind you to this gathering. Our number is six, united," Amy intoned. Faith and Cordelia echoed her words. Giles joined her on the next line, "I bind you to this gathering. We are no longer one and six but seven, united." As the others repeated this, Amy and Giles both pricked their finger and dropped blood on the rune circle around Willow. The circle began to glow with warm golden light.

"Artemia, I beseech thee to depart me. Enter into my companion and fight by my side. Artemia, pass from me into another," the Slayer recited.

Giles and Amy spoke again, "Artemia, We beseech thee to depart the Slayer. Enter into our companion and fight by our side. Artemia, pass from the Slayer into another." The others echoed their words. Silver light swirled around Faith and coalesced in front of her.

"Mípos mou aporrípsei?" the vaguely human-shaped light asked her.

"Se chreiazómaste. Parakaloúme, polemísoun sto plevró mas!" Giles pleaded in her native tongue for Artemia to stand with them. The body of light that was Artemia turned to face him. "Parakaló eiságete aftó to éna kai na polemísoun sto plevró mas!" he gestured at Willow.

"Tha prépei na bo aftós pou aníkei stin Ekáti? Vlasfimía!" the long dead Slayer shouted. The flame of the candles became a ring of fire.

Giles looked shocked. He stammered, "B, blasphamy? Tóte ríxte mía boreíte na vreíte katállilo."

"Polý kalá," Artemia nodded. She examined each person on the circle before standing in front of Cordelia. "Eínai to éna." The light entered the teen. The fire went out, the glow around Willow stopped and the cord fell to the floor. For a long moment, all was still.

"What just happened?" Xander asked.

"Artemia rejected Willow, because she is a natural born witch. She belongs to Hecate," Angel explained. He glanced at Giles when the Watcher gave him a surprised look. "I'm two hundred and sixty; I've picked a few things up along the way."

"You are a Vampire," Artemia spoke with Cordelia's voice, harsh and accusatory.

"He has a soul," Faith stepped up to the possessed girl. "We need him. We need all the help we can get."

"Why? You cannot trust his kind," Artemia growled.

"It's less trust and more pointing him at the bad guys and letting him go," the Slayer shrugged. "Anyway he knows where the Master's lair is."

"Very well," the dead Slayer acquiesced. "I require a gladius."

Xander jogged over to the weapons locker, "We got three British long swords, four basket hilt rapiers, a katana I'm not allowed to touch, a falchion…"

"Shamshir, actually," Giles corrected absently.

"…a nine ring broad sword, and a twelve pack of machetes," the boy continued.

"If that is all you have," she huffed grabbing a pair. "Also, I cannot fight in this footwear."

"I have a spare pair of boots that should fit you," Faith headed up stairs.

"Why does she associate with a vampire and a demon lover?" Artemia glared at Giles.

"I beg your pardon?" the Watcher scoffed.

"You reek of the sleepwalker's stench," she spun the blades in her hands. "If he comes I will not hesitate."

"I'll keep that in mind," Giles said snidely.

"Sleepwalker?" Amy asked.

"A part of my wild and miss spent youth," Giles replied. "It's not something we need discus at the moment."

Faith reentered the room, "Who sucked all the fun out of you guys?"

"Artemia," Willow said. "Apparently she doesn't like Giles."

"Well, he's my Watcher so suck it up, Arty," Faith handed her a pair of socks and combat boots. "Put those on. We need to get this party moving as soon as we can. Possession may be different then transferring the Slayer mojo, but it's still no picnic."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

They entered the Sunnydale underground through the same mausoleum in Quinn Cemetery they had used to rescue Jesse. Angel leaned over to whisper to Faith as they strolled through the dark tunnel, "I understand bringing Artemia and Giles, but the rest of them? They could get hurt. They could be killed."

"You could be killed," Faith whispered back. "Or you could shut up."

"Sorry, I'm just worried about your plucky little sidekicks," he muttered.

"They do okay," Faith reassured him. "They came up with some crazy good ideas."

"They are amateurs that will get us all killed," Artemia spoke up.

"Thank you for that stellar vote of confidence and boost to morale," Xander huffed.

"I am merely stating the truth. You have less training than a soldier on the line. The daughters of Hecate are powerful, but also untested in a true battle," Artemia shook her head. "The fate of the world is in the hands of you losers. We're doomed."

Faith hung back as Cordelia took point. She turned to Giles, "Is it just me or was that last line all Queen C?"

"Possession and channeling are a tricky business," the Watcher replied. "I just hope it holds until the Master is defeated."

The rats thinned out as they traveled. Faith and Cordelia steered them towards a large congregation of vampires, until Angel directed them down some stairs and into a round side tunnel. "How do we know he's not leading us into a trap?" Cordelia asked.

"Well, for one you'd kill him, and we'd let you," Xander answered. "And second off it looks as if he's leading us away from an ambush."

Angel sighed, "You don't like me very much do you, Xander?"

"No. I don't," the boy admitted. "All I really know about you is that you're a vampire. Sure you're doing the whole _Interview with a Vampire_ meets _Blade_ thing, but what's to stop you from going all blood sick monster on us?"

"I do have a soul, you know, a conscience," Angel returned.

"No dice," Xander shook his head. "I know too many bad humans for that to even factor. Oh, no. You'll feel bad after. Pff. Big deal."

Angel stared at him a moment. Given how long he'd lived, both as a part of humanity and apart from it… "Fair point," he conceded, turning his attention back to the tunnels before them.

"Quiet now," Artemia snapped. "I can feel him."

"The Master?" Faith asked.

Cordelia nodded, "I remember him from the graveyard. Can you not feel him?"

Faith shook her head, "I feel something, but I don't know what."

"Distinction will come with practice," the older Slayer assured her.

At the end of the stairs the cavernous room was lit with hundreds of candles. The decrepit and ruined interior of an old, gothic church surrounded them.

"You're early," the Master's voice seemed to be coming from all directions.

"I'm not the type to put things off to the last minute," Faith snarked back.

The Master stepped into the light to look at her, "And you brought snacks. How thoughtful."

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Cordelia gasped.

"A near millennium of undeath will have that effect," he gave her a toothy grin.

"Not your hideous bat-face," she scoffed. "Your clothes."

"My clothes?" he questioned. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Please, that outfit is so S&M mad scientist. I mean come on, all that leather and you still manage to look like you're wearing a cheap vinyl rain coat. I hope you murdered your tailor," Artemia/Cordelia berated him.

He looked at her with an expression of genuine hurt, "I'm offended." The Master's expression slowly melted into an oily smile, "I like you. I'll kill you last."

Artemia took this as a sign that the banter portion of the fight had concluded and grabbed Willow's crossbow. With his lightning reflexes the Master caught the bolt right in front of him dead center on his heart. This was just a distraction, as the others had launched a salvo of holy water balloons. The Master hissed in pain as boils sprung up everywhere the water touched him. Even indirect hits were of use.

Angel stayed on the stairs covering their exit. The amount of holy water in the dozen balloons they'd filled wasn't enough to kill any vampire, let alone ones as strong as himself or the Master, but it was like instantly getting the worst sunburn you've ever had.

The Master snarled, "You're not going to kill me with that."

"Hadn't planned on it," Faith shot back and fired a bolt of her own at him. He caught it, but dropped it immediately. "Ow! Hot potato!" she said, smirking.

"Enough games, little girl!" He strode towards them until he hit the barrier keeping him trapped. "You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."

"I may be a lamb, but I'm definitely a black sheep," the Slayer snapped back. "And you're still stuck." She reloaded and fired another bolt at him. The Master dodged it with inhuman speed and retreated behind a stone column.

His low sardonic laugh echoed through the cave, masking his location again. "It is a noble effort you and your little friends put forth, but in the end you will die, like all Slayers die."

"Yeah, yeah, you could kill me if you could get to me," Faith sneered. "News flash: so could another human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special."

"Tomorrow you die and nothing will stop it," he laughed. "Prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything."

Behind them Angel swore. Willow and Amy turned to give him support. Artemia surged forward with her machetes. Faith chased after her. Giles swore. "Xander, help the girls." Giles chased after them both.

"You are destined to die! It was written!" the Master taunted her.

"Yeah, but you'll be dusted by then," Faith returned whipping around a pillar and losing a crossbow bolt.

The Master stepped out of the shadows behind her. "Come here!" He commanded after she turned to face him and their eyes met. "You came to stop me," he whispered as he approached her. Faith didn't move. "How ironic that you're the one that sets me free!" He gripped her throat with his long fingers. His sharpened nails bit into her flesh. "If you hadn't come, I couldn't go," he leaned in to bite her. The Master stopped and gasped in pain.

"She did not come alone," Artemia snarled as she swung the blade that was not piercing his spine at his throat. The machete struck it's mark and the carbon steel blade sliced cleanly through his neck. The Master's head tumbled to their feet. The flesh disintegrated from his bones leaving them to clatter unceremoniously to the floor.

Faith stood motionless. A hand gabbed her shoulder from behind. "Faith!" Giles called to her.

The Slayer shook her head, "Ugh, sorry Tweed. He just put the whammy on me big time. The lights were on, but I was trapped in the attic."

Giles chuckled. "I'll bag these remains. We'll deal with them later."

"A little help here! Please!" Amy shouted.

The two Slayers ran into the flood of vampires pushing their allies back. Standing on either side of Angel they hacked off limbs as if they were tree branches. Amy, Willow and Xander didn't dare fire into the fray. Giles on the other hand took the occasional shot. Soon the remaining vampires fled.

Willow coughed. "Gross. I'm breathing people." Giles gave her his handkerchief to put over her mouth and nose. "Thanks," came her muffled reply.

"What happened?" Cordelia snapped. She glanced around the cave as though she had never seen it before.

"You accidentally got the superpowers and killed the über vamp," Xander filled her in. "Congrats."

"Where are my shoes? They're genuine leather," the cheerleader looked at her feet.

"Safe at my place," Faith answered.

"Good," Cordelia huffed. "Angel, when we get back to Faith's I'm going to need your digits."

"Um?" He asked.

"Your cell phone number," she clarified.

"I don't have a cell phone," he admitted.

"I can fix that," the cheerleader smiled at him. "Are you busy tomorrow night? There's this dance at the Bronze. The spring fling."

Faith chuckled at her antics. "Always on the hunt."

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Faith lay the bag of Master bones on the study table in the library. "Did we have to bring these here?" she asked. "We could have swung by the house and picked them up, you know."

"Anything to lessen the delay," Giles justified. He went into his office.

"Whatever, let's get going," Faith moved to grab the crate of holy water. She saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. "Who's there?" She turned towards the door. A small boy, no more than nine or ten, opened the door to the library.

"Are you lost?" the Slayer asked. The boy turned and ran down the hallway. Faith jogged after. He threw open the door to the basement and darted down the stairs. "Yeah, I don't think so." She knelt at the top of the steps. "You know, kid. There's a _lot_ of nasty stuff that likes to walk around under this town. I was you, I'd come back up. Because you screamin' isn't exactly gonna draw a lot of attention." She waited for a couple of minutes, shrugged and rose to her feet. "Suit yourself." She shut the door and turned back to the library.

He listened to her words…and frowned as he heard the heavy metal door slam shut. "That," he cocked his head, "That isn't how it was supposed to happen."

"That's alright," a deep voice called from the shadows.

The boy turned to the dark skinned vampire. "Absalom," he said, smiling.

"We'll see the Master returned." He rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Time is on our side." He grinned. "Being immortal and all."

"You're right." Collin turned and moved toward the sewers. "Have them followed. I want to know where they put him."

Absalom gave one last look to the door atop the stairs. "I'll see it done," he said, before following the child.


	13. Chapter 13: The Awkward Dinner Party

Faith the Vampire Slayer:

Summer Bonus

1\. The Awkward Dinner Party

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles had taken far longer to get ready that Faith had, fussing about wanting to look nice, but not stodgy; parental, but not overly strict. Finally, the Slayer snapped, "Three piece suits are not casual! I don't care what color it is."

Her Watcher paused in his muttering. "I'm sorry. I just…Is it weird that I'm nervous about meeting your friends' parents?"

"Nah. Not really. You're a single, first-time parent. That's fairly terrifying on its own. Now, you're gonna be scrutinized by 'normal' people." Faith made air quotes around the word normal. "Just relax and remember: none of us come from a _Leave it to Beaver_ home. Red comes the closest, and she sees you more than she does her folks."

Giles nodded and bit his lip. "So is that navy or charcoal." He pointed at the pair of jackets he had draped over the sofa.

"Argh!" Faith shouted at the ceiling. "Brown, you want to project a warm but professional image; just jeans and a jacket over a button-up with no tie."

"No tie?" he repeated.

"Or a light colored button up with a vest." Faith looked him straight in the eyes. "But, no. No tie."

Giles looked at his watch. "I really don't have time to go through my vests," he said as he trotted into his bedroom. He came out in a chocolate dress shirt and muted brown, tweed jacket. "Is this alright?"

Faith chuckled. "Perfect."

"Don't laugh. It's easy for you. You throw on a pair of trousers and any old blouse and off you pop."

The Slayer snorted and then burst out into a fit of giggles. "Yeah, 'coz girl clothes aren't complicated _at all_."

"Yours aren't," he stated, shifting his glasses. "I've seen the entirety of your wardrobe. Of all of the things, your collection of attire could be considered, complicated is not one of them."

Faith stared at him narrowed eyed for a moment. "You know what?" she shot at him. "Yeah, okay. I'll give you that one. But most other girls aren't me. And they have wardrobes that you have to have a degree to figure out. Just look at Queen C."

Giles snorted with laughter. "Yes, well. Right. Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yeah. Problem?" She was wearing dark, boot cut jeans and a moss green, bell-sleeved peasant top.

"No, it's…. it's fine." He took his glasses off and cleaned then. "Your shoes though. They're work boots."

"They're comfy and the laces match my shirt."

"Very well," Giles conceded.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles had brought a bottle of wine. He was regretting that now, sitting across the table from Xander's father. Tony was on his fourth glass, while the rest of the adults were still on their first.

Jessica Harris tried to distract from her husband's drinking. "Xander's grades have been so much better this term. He might actually graduate on time if this keeps up."

Xander looked down with a tight smile but said nothing.

"Just goes to show that the boy's been lazy," his father said.

"Actually," Giles interjected, "Xander is a kinesthetic learner. He just needed some help is all."

"Are you calling my boy a retard?" the man growled.

"Far from it," Giles said sternly. "Kinesthetic learning isn't a disability. He merely retains information better when he's active. Xander benefits from a hands-on education, rather than traditional lectures."

"Kind of weird, isn't it? A grown man hanging out with kids?" Tony grumbled.

"Giles doesn't 'hang out' with us, Mr. Harris," Willow said. "He's adult supervision."

"And you call him Giles and not Mr. Giles because?" Sheila asked.

"It's a British thing," Faith jumped in. "Uncle Rupert went to a boarding school. The teachers call you Mr. Giles, your friends call you Giles. People you're really close to get to use your first name. Like Ms. Calendar," she teased.

Giles blushed and stammered, "I, yes, well. This is excellent lasagna, Ira. I, uh, I wonder if I might get the recipe?"

"Yes, of course. Not much too to it really," Mr. Rosenberg replied. "I sautéd fennel seed with finely diced mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant to substitute for meat. The marinara sauce is from scratch, but the jar stuff is just as good. Loads of cheese: four ounces of mascarpone, ricotta and parmesan, a half pound of provolone, and eight ounces of mozzarella. I'll Xerox the recipe card before dessert."

"Vegetarian? S'not real Italian, then," Tony snorted and reached for the wine bottle again.

Faith snatched it away. "You've had more than enough."

"Mind your business, y'little slut." He stood and tried to grab the bottle from her. She held it out of his reach.

"Tony, don't, please," his wife begged. "You're making a scene."

"We don't use that kind of language in this house," Ira stood as well. "You can either sit back down and conduct yourself like an adult or leave."

"Fine, I know what you all think of me," Tony spat. He stomped towards the door, his wife scurrying after. Tony turned at the archway connecting the dining room to the front hall. He looked at Xander and snapped, "Come on boy."

"No," the teen said. "I'm not getting in the car with you drunk. I've got too much to live for."

Tony growled and stormed back to the table. Xander stood to meet him. "Get your ass to the car, boy."

"Give mom the keys," Xander said, doing his level best to keep his voice from shaking. Tony was still a fairly large man. Xander stood at eye level, but the elder Harris still had a few pounds on him.

"You get to the car right now, or don't bother coming home."

"Fine. That's settled. I'd _rather_ be homeless than live with a man that cares more about beer that his family," Xander shot back.

Tony cocked his fist back and struck at his son.

Xander had seen his father drunk so often that he have few memories of him otherwise. Thus when the blow came, he had years of knowledge and – thanks to Giles' tutelage – months of training to fall back on. His body remembered it all and reacted accordingly. Tony's meaty fist flew toward his head. Xander leaned to the side, letting the punch sail past his face.

Tony staggered and fell against the jamb, breathing heavily. He glared at Xander, rage in his bloodshot eyes. Xander, however, had had enough. Too long both he and his mother had been victim to his father's drunken tantrums. The episodes used to terrify him. No longer. Xander had seen the elephant as his friend Jesse would say. He'd been to war. He'd slain monsters. Clowns and alcoholics just didn't hold the same gut wrenching fear they used to.

Xander balled up his fists and struck back using precise shots Giles had taught him.

All the adults were yelling. Melissa and Sheila herded the other two girls into the kitchen. Giles had grabbed Faith to restrain her after she picked up a butter knife. He was cursing as the enraged slayer dragged him across the floor but couldn't seem to get close as Ira and Chris moved into separate Xander and his father.

There was no need to, as after Xander's return salvo the teen had stepped back. His arms were up and he bounced on the balls of his feet. Tony fell backward onto the carpet, dazed but not unconscious. Giles gave a small proud smile while the other men helped Jessica carry her husband to their car.

Faith tossed the butter knife back on the table. "I'll get you an ice pack."

"Don't bother. He missed," Xander said, patting her shoulder. He then turned to Giles. "I should have just gone with him. Not caused a fuss. I'm going to head home and hope this blows over."

Giles stepped over to the boy and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Nonsense. You did the right thing. You had valid safety concerns. You are worth more than his ego."

"What am I going to do, now?" Xander asked.

"Will he actual throw you out, once he's sobered up?" Giles questioned, checking the boy for injury.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know if I even want to go back. I…" Xander sighed. "It would just cause a lot of fighting because I'm not afraid of him anymore. I won't let him push me around."

"We'll think of something," Giles said confidently.

"We've got two spare rooms," Faith pointed out.

"I don't like the idea of you sleeping on the same floor as your boyfriend, call me old fashioned."

"You two sleep upstairs, I'll take over the master bedroom," Faith replied.

"I'm not giving up the master," Giles stated. Xander looked at the old man with wide pleading eyes. The librarian smiled mischievously and said, "But, it is summer, so he _could_ sleep on the sun porch."

"Giles," Faith admonished.

"The point is, Xander, yes you can stay with us; if we can't find an acceptable alternative arrangement," Giles clarified.

Chris and Ira returned. "Is everyone okay in here?" Ira inquired.

"Yes," Giles informed him. "Nothing injured but one drunkard's pride. Provided he remembers this episode come morning."

"Willow, honey, I don't want you going over to the Harris's anymore. I know you and Xander are good friends, but I don't want you in that kind of environment," Ira told his daughter. "If you and Xander have to watch your holiday movies here, well, I'll just have to live with that."

"How did you know?" Willow asked.

"You weren't very good at subterfuge at six, sweetie. And you talk in your sleep." A sudden ding sent Mr. Rosenberg hurrying into the kitchen. "My cheesecake!"

"We can have dessert in the kitchen, once everyone is finished with dinner," Sheila decided. She grabbed the wine bottle off the table. "I'll just put on some coffee."

"Well, this is awkward," Mellissa said. "Maybe we should just go."

"But cheesecake," the four teens said in unison. They grinned at each other and burst into a fit of giggles.

The rest of the evening was rather pleasant. The teens congregated around the island in the kitchen and discussed summer plans. The adults leaned up against the counter and talked about their kids and Giles love life – much to his embarrassment.

As they were leaving Giles turned to their hosts and apologized, "I'm terribly sorry about what happened this evening. If I had had any idea …"

"It's not your fault, Rupert. Tony has always been a bit rough around the edges, losing his job didn't help any," Sheila said, patting his arm. "Bringing wine to a dinner party is just a thing people do." She shrugged.

"Let's not," Ira said. "We're all intelligent, mature people…"

"Speak for yourself," Faith piped up.

"Well, half of us are," he admitted. "My point is, we don't need to do what people do, just because it's what is done. We should do what's right for us."

"I don't care for wine," Melissa admitted.

"It all tastes the same to me," Sheila confided to her.

"I prefer a good stout myself, but that's hardly appropriate in front of the children," Giles said.

"So why is wine appropriate in front of them?" Sheila asked.

"Lower alcohol content, and in the past safer to drink than water," the librarian informed her.

"So, no more wine at the dinner parties," Chris said, turning to Giles. "Because in the twenty-first century, water if perfectly safe to drink," he added with a smile. Giles returned it. "It's Melissa's and my turn to bring something next time. What do we bring?" This gave the adults pause. Convention told them one thing but the experience was telling them another.

"How about a tub of French vanilla?" Faith asked. "Giles and I could make tarts or turnovers or something. That'd go great together."

"Perfect!" Chris grinned.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

Giles drove Xander to his parents' house the next day. Tony was out on the lawn yelling and swearing. Jessica was in the doorway – with a black eye – throwing things at him. "It's a community property state, bitch, half of the house is mine."

"Alex's name is on the deed! My father never trusted you! And a good thing, too!" she shouted back. "I can't believe you hit my son!"

"Why not?" Xander spoke up, getting out of the Citroen. "He hits you often enough."

"This is all your fault!" Tony shouted, turning on Xander.

Giles hopped over the hood of his car in one swift and deft motion, stepping between the pair. "There will not be a repeat of last night." The Watcher reached out and grabbed the other man by the shirt. His grip was inverted so his large, square pinky ring rubbed against the underside of Tony's jaw. Giles pulled the other man close to him and lifted him until he was forced to stand on his toes. The surprise at the effortlessness at which the British gentleman was accomplishing the feat was absolute. Giles' voice was low and menacing as he explained, "If I find that you've struck Xander, or your wife again, I will not notify the authorities. I will find you and I will revisit the injuries upon you tenfold. Do I make myself clear?" Tony nodded and Giles shoved him away. "Good."

As Tony began gathering his belonging from the lawn, Jessica came out of the doorway and hugged her son. "I'm so sorry, Alex. I didn't realize he could be _that_ much of a bastard."

Xander and his mom watched Tony throw his things into the back of the station wagon. He turned to the pair. "When you both realize what a huge mistake you've made, don't come crawling to me!" Tony slammed the driver's door.

"The only mistake we made was not throwing your ass out sooner," Xander shot back as his father reversed out of the driveway. As the teen watched the car disappear down the street his mother began to weep. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll get a job and help pay the bills." Her only response was a simple nod as she continued to weep.

Giles ushered the pair into the house.

{FtVS}{FtVS}{FtVS}

 **Author's Note** : Faith the Vampire Slayer will be on hiatus while I finish writing season two. Thank you.


End file.
